Leon Gouré (November 1, 1922 – March 16, 2007) was a

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

-born American political scientist and analyst. His studies for the

RAND Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed ...

in the 1960s and 1970s helped influence

civil defense Civil defense ( en, region=gb, civil defence) or civil protection is an effort to protect the citizens of a state (generally non-combatants) from man-made and natural disasters. It uses the principles of emergency operations: prevention, miti ...

preparedness in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and U.S. strategy in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

Early life

Gouré was born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

, son of Boris and Sophie Gourevitsch, The Baltimore Sentinel, "Women, Children Last in Russ CD", 21 November 1961, p.29
Retrieved 12 July 2013 who were

Menshevik The Mensheviks (russian: меньшевики́, from меньшинство 'minority') were one of the three dominant factions in the Russian socialist movement, the others being the Bolsheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries. The factions eme ...

s who opposed the

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks (russian: Большевики́, from большинство́ ''bol'shinstvó'', 'majority'),; derived from ''bol'shinstvó'' (большинство́), "majority", literally meaning "one of the majority". also known in English ...

regime and went into exile in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

in 1923. They escaped

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

persecution, fleeing to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1933 and then, in 1940, fled

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

to the

, where they settled in

Hoboken, New Jersey Hoboken ( ; Unami: ') is a city in Hudson County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 60,417. The Census Bureau's Population Estimates Program calculated that the city's population was 58,690 i ...

. Gouré enlisted in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

and became a U.S. citizen in 1943. He fought as in the

U.S. Infantry The Infantry Branch (also known as the "Queen of Battle") is a branch of the United States Army first established in 1775. History Ten companies of riflemen were authorized by a resolution of the Continental Congress on 14 June 1775. However, ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

before serving in U.S. counterintelligence capacities after the war. He interviewed Nazis and their collaborators who were had been held as prisoners.Joe Holley, ''Obituaries: Leon Gouré, 84; Sovietologist and Civil Defense Expert'', Washington Post, 5 April 2007
Retrieved 12 July 2013

Education

After his discharge, Gouré attended

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...

, graduating in 1947. He then received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in 1949. He joined the

Rand Corporation The RAND Corporation (from the phrase "research and development") is an American nonprofit global policy think tank created in 1948 by Douglas Aircraft Company to offer research and analysis to the United States Armed Forces. It is financed ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

in 1954, later transferring to the organization's offices in

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

in 1959. He received a

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private research university in the Georgetown (Washington, D.C.), Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789 as Georg ...

in 1961.

Career

Rand Corporation

As a

analyst, Gouré began to develop his ideas on

in the

. In 1961, he wrote a report suggesting that the Soviet Union had massively increased their civil defense preparations to protect large numbers of people in the event of a

nuclear war Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a theoretical military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear w ...

. His reports on the subject contributed to the expansion of civil defense measures in the United States during the 1970s and 1980s. In 1973, he wrote that:

The fundamental Soviet view is that the better the USSR is prepared for war, the greater and more credible is its ability to deter its adversary from risking military confrontation. This is the main reason why Moscow categorically rejects any concept of security based on a balance of 'mutual assured destruction.'

He advised the

Lyndon Johnson administration Lyndon may refer to: Places * Lyndon, Alberta, Canada * Lyndon, Rutland, East Midlands, England * Lyndon, Solihull, West Midlands, England United States * Lyndon, Illinois * Lyndon, Kansas * Lyndon, Kentucky * Lyndon, New York * Lyndon, Ohio * L ...

on the

. Malcolm Gladwell wrote in 2013 that Gouré was "brilliant, charismatic, incredibly charming and absolutely ruthless". He took over the Vietnam Motivation and Morale Project, and in 1964 lived for a period in

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

, where his staff were sent to interview Viet Cong combatants.Duong Van Mai Elliott, ''Rand in Southeast Asia: A History of the Vietnam War Era'', Rand Corporation, 2010, pp.88-95
/ref> His report concluded that the Viet Cong were demoralized and would surrender after further bombing, and he briefed leading military figures accordingly. Gouré's analysis influenced U.S. policy for several years. BBC News, ''Viewpoint: Could one man have shortened the Vietnam War?'', 9 July 2013
Retrieved 12 July 2013

University of Miami and Science Applications International

Gouré joined the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

in 1969 as director of Soviet studies at the University of Miami's Center for Advanced International Studies. In 1980, he joined Science Applications International Corp., a consulting firm, where he remained until his retirement in 2004.

Books

Gouré's books included ''The Siege of Leningrad'' and ''Civil Defense in the Soviet Union'', both published in 1962. In 2009, his papers were acquired by the

Hoover Institution The Hoover Institution (officially The Hoover Institution on War, Revolution, and Peace; abbreviated as Hoover) is an American public policy think tank and research institution that promotes personal and economic liberty, free enterprise, and ...

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

. ''Hoover Institution Archives Acquires the Papers of Leon Gouré'', 30 April 2009
. Retrieved 12 July 2013

Death

A resident of Potomac, Maryland, he died in 2007 of congestive heart failure in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county is ...

at age 84. He was buried in

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

.ANC Explorer
Retrieved 26 February 2023

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goure, Leon 1922 births 2007 deaths American political scientists Emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States People from Hoboken, New Jersey New York University alumni Columbia University alumni Georgetown University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni University of Miami faculty RAND Corporation people United States Army personnel of World War II Soviet emigrants to Germany German emigrants to France United States Army soldiers People who emigrated to escape Bolshevism French emigrants to the United States 20th-century political scientists