Smith, Hedrick

Smith, Hedrick (1933–  ) journalist, Slavic specialist; born in Scotland (where his parents were living temporarily). An American citizen raised in the United States, he was a staff reporter for the New York Times (1962–68), part of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team that produced the Pentagon Papers series; he also won a Pulitzer Prize for international reporting (1974). Known for combining a readable style with provocative analysis, he was the author of several books on power and politics. He traveled extensively in Russia (1987–92), creating the award-winning documentary series Inside Gorbachev's USSR, and established his own documentary film company to produce the series Challenge to America.