Edward Clinton Ezell (1939–1993) was one of the first western historians who met Mikhail Kalashnikov personally and became his first foreign friend. Wishing to establish communication Ezell wrote a letter to the designer in 1972 in which he expressed sincere interest in the creative work of the talented gun-maker and asked him to answer a number of questions. The American scientist later called this letter ‘a good shot in the dark.’
Mikhail Tomofeevich addressed Nikolai Neverov, a KGB general in Izhevsk, and the latter advised him just to keep silence for the cold war was in full swing. But approximately a year later a representative of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted while talking to Mikhail Kalashnikov that Americans know too much about the Russian designer anyway and recommended him to answer the letter. That is how the first contact by correspondence took place thanks to the official support.
They were in correspondence for a long time and in 1986 Edward Clinton Ezell sent his book The AK47 Story: Evolution of the Kalashnikov Weapons to the arms designer addressing it as follows: USSR, the city of Izhevsk, to Kalashnikov. Surprisingly, the printed matter reached its destination! Without having access to the archives the author managed to reconstruct the whole chain of evolution of small arms in Russia from 1812 until the AK-47 was adopted for service.
He was the first to tell the world public about the mass copying of the AK in the middle-eastern countries, where the Kalashnikov’s counterparts were manufactured not only by Israel, but also by Egypt. The solid piece of work ended like this: “…Americans export Coca-Cola, the Japanese export SONY, while the Soviets export the Kalashnikovs”.
In the summer of 1989 Edward arrived in the Soviet Union at the invitation of Mikhail Tomofeevich. For the first time in the whole the post-war history of relations between the two powers specialists of this sort could meet together. For two weeks Mikhail Kalashnikov took part in the shootings of a programme about the arms designers for the Smithsonian Institution, together with Ezell visited the test range of the Higher Officer Courses Vystrel in Solnechnogorsk and the Museum of Artillery in Leningrad.
At the initiative of his friend on May 15, 1990 Kalashnikov with his daughter arrived in the USA. They were received by the “top notch standard”. Ed (that is how the famous gun-maker called Ezell) with his wife Virginia organized a meeting at the airport and accompanied the guests throughout the whole stay in the USA. This visit opened the road abroad to the Izhevsk gunsmith and he was actively invited to visit other countries, too.
When the CBS Corporation wanted to publish the book by Mikhail Kalashnikov Ezell immediately offered his services as the “guard watching the essence of this process”. In his letter he reflected: “It may so happen that it will be difficult to control the content of the book… Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that the published material would not do harm to your authority and reputation… be cautious in your negotiations for there are wolves in the wood”.
Undoubtedly, close, warm relationship was established between the natural Russian genius and the American scientist based on mutual affinity and mutual keen passion for small arms. Mikhail Kalashnikov’s ice of distrust of the other way of life has melted, fast friendship between the two men grew stronger. After Edward Clinton Ezell died his widow continued to come to Russia to celebrate the anniversaries of Mikhail Timofeevich.
Mikhail Tomofeevich addressed Nikolai Neverov, a KGB general in Izhevsk, and the latter advised him just to keep silence for the cold war was in full swing. But approximately a year later a representative of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs admitted while talking to Mikhail Kalashnikov that Americans know too much about the Russian designer anyway and recommended him to answer the letter. That is how the first contact by correspondence took place thanks to the official support.
They were in correspondence for a long time and in 1986 Edward Clinton Ezell sent his book The AK47 Story: Evolution of the Kalashnikov Weapons to the arms designer addressing it as follows: USSR, the city of Izhevsk, to Kalashnikov. Surprisingly, the printed matter reached its destination! Without having access to the archives the author managed to reconstruct the whole chain of evolution of small arms in Russia from 1812 until the AK-47 was adopted for service.
He was the first to tell the world public about the mass copying of the AK in the middle-eastern countries, where the Kalashnikov’s counterparts were manufactured not only by Israel, but also by Egypt. The solid piece of work ended like this: “…Americans export Coca-Cola, the Japanese export SONY, while the Soviets export the Kalashnikovs”.
In the summer of 1989 Edward arrived in the Soviet Union at the invitation of Mikhail Tomofeevich. For the first time in the whole the post-war history of relations between the two powers specialists of this sort could meet together. For two weeks Mikhail Kalashnikov took part in the shootings of a programme about the arms designers for the Smithsonian Institution, together with Ezell visited the test range of the Higher Officer Courses Vystrel in Solnechnogorsk and the Museum of Artillery in Leningrad.
At the initiative of his friend on May 15, 1990 Kalashnikov with his daughter arrived in the USA. They were received by the “top notch standard”. Ed (that is how the famous gun-maker called Ezell) with his wife Virginia organized a meeting at the airport and accompanied the guests throughout the whole stay in the USA. This visit opened the road abroad to the Izhevsk gunsmith and he was actively invited to visit other countries, too.
When the CBS Corporation wanted to publish the book by Mikhail Kalashnikov Ezell immediately offered his services as the “guard watching the essence of this process”. In his letter he reflected: “It may so happen that it will be difficult to control the content of the book… Therefore, it is necessary to make sure that the published material would not do harm to your authority and reputation… be cautious in your negotiations for there are wolves in the wood”.
Undoubtedly, close, warm relationship was established between the natural Russian genius and the American scientist based on mutual affinity and mutual keen passion for small arms. Mikhail Kalashnikov’s ice of distrust of the other way of life has melted, fast friendship between the two men grew stronger. After Edward Clinton Ezell died his widow continued to come to Russia to celebrate the anniversaries of Mikhail Timofeevich.
