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In 1972, PepsiCo Chairman of the Board of Directors Don Kendall announced an agreement making Pepsi-Cola the first foreign product sold in the then U.S.S.R. PepsiCo was also given exclusive rights to import Stolichnaya Russian vodka in the U.S. at that time. In 1959, Kendall (then a vice president at PepsiCo) brought Pepsi to the first American Exhibition in Moscow's Sokolniki Park and gave the drink free to Russians. He is supposed to have met then Soviet Premier, Nikita Kruschev. After Kendall rose to leadership of Pepsi (in 1971) an agreement was signed that would introduce Pepsi (a "symbol" of America) to the Soviet Union in exchange for introducing Stolichnaya vodka (the Soviet "symbol") to Americans. It is interesting to note that Kendall was also very good friends with Richard Nixon and Kendall's name has been linked with CIA operations in Chile and Cuba. Hmmm. Sometimes, it's not what you do, it's who you know.
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