ABSTRACT
The battle for hearts and minds is something typically associated with US foreign policy aims during the cold war. In short, it is used to refer to state-sponsored non-military action taken to influence public opinion abroad in order to advance US foreign policy interests. This activity included overt operations, trade, economic aid, diplomacy, the threat of force, cultural and educational exchanges as well as more traditional forms of propaganda. An agreement on cultural exchanges in 1957 with regards to the USA and the Soviet Union. The full name of the agreement with the USA was Agreement between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on Exchanges in the Cultural, Technical, and Educational Fields. The case of Rudolf Nureyev, who was the first high-profile artist to defect after cultural exchanges started on a full scale, underlines just how dependent the Soviets actually were on Hurok and other agents.
