| P for pepsi, P for peace |
[Sep. 22nd, 2018|09:09 am] |
In 1959, the USSR held an exhibition of Soviet technology and culture in New York. The United States reciprocated with an exhibition in Sokolniki Park, Moscow, which lead to the famous kitchen debate. One of the American products exhibited was Pepsi Cola. After obtaining a photo of U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev sipping Pepsi, Pepsico executive Donald Kendall was able to capture the attention of the Soviet people and, in 1972, negotiate a cola monopoly in the USSR. Due to Soviet restrictions on transporting rubles abroad, PepsiCo struck a barter deal whereby Stolichnaya vodka would be exchanged for Pepsi syrup. This deal lasted until 1990, when the USSR and PepsiCo re-negotiated to exchange syrup for vodka and a small fleet of Soviet warships including 17 submarines, a frigate, a cruiser and a destroyer. Until Pepsi sold the ships to Sweden a few days later for scrap, PepsiCo was the sixth largest military force in the world. |
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