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Black in the USSR

Robert Robinson, an African American engineer, was recruited to work in the USSR in 1930. Having lost his US citizenship, he spent 43 years unable to leave.

Robert Robinson, a Jamaican born engineer, was recruited to work in the USSR from a factory in Detroit in 1930. Having had his US citizenship revoked, he spent 43 years unable to leave the Soviet Union. Dina Newman tells his story, using BBC archive.

(Photo: Robert Robinson in the 1920s. Source: BBC archive)

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9 minutes

Last on

Mon 20 Jun 201607:50GMT
BBC World Service except News Internet

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  • Mon 20 Jun 201607:50GMT
    BBC World Service except News Internet

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