John & Viktoria
a Love Story
John and Viktoria saved many photos, letters, and newspaper clippings documenting their romance. Click through the slideshow to see these artifacts from their life together, from their first days in Moscow to their golden years in Maryland.
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A press photo of John and Victoria after their marriage in Moscow.
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John in his Navy uniform
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John and other pilots
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The planes John flew during the war
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John and his Navy buddies during WWII
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John flying
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The ship John sailed on
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A cake celebrating the 1,000th landing on John’s ship, the USS Tulagi
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After the tragic death of his first wife, John suffered from blackouts and eventually crashed his plane, ending his flying career.
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Victoria writes to John in Paris, thanking him for his letter and scolding him for his bad handwriting.
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The first page of a letter from Victoria to John, sent October 9, 1956.
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The second and third pages of a letter from Victoria to John, sent October 9, 1956.
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The fourth page of a letter from Victoria to John, sent October 9, 1956.
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Victoria sends John the Russian alphabet to help him with the language (page 1).
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Victoria sends John the Russian alphabet to help him with the language (page 2).
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Victoria sends John the Russian alphabet to help him with the language (page 2).
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Victoria, frustrated by the distance, writes a letter expressing her disappointment to John on April 14, 1957 (page 1).
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Victoria, frustrated by the distance, writes a letter expressing her disappointment to John on April 14, 1957 (page 2).
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Victoria, frustrated by the distance, writes a letter expressing her disappointment to John on April 14, 1957 (page 3).
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Victoria is close to giving up hope in this letter to John from September 13, 1957.
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Victoria sends John a tracing of her foot.
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John and Victoria in Moscow after John’s return.
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American newspapers covered John and Victoria’s wedding.
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The couple waited in Russia for permission to leave, and the press updated the public back in America about their story.
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A newspaper article details Khrushchev’s intervention on the couple’s behalf.
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Another story breathlessly recounts John and Victoria’s planned departure from Moscow.
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John and Victoria in Paris.
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Victoria with relatives in America, including young Dana Offenbach.