Facilitated the Bilson-Willens Initiative. Two businessmen, Harold Willens and Wes Bilson, wrote a letter offering pro bono consultation to some Soviet enterprises interested in putting quality consumer goods in the Soviet stores. Their letter was printed in the weekly periodical Argumenty i Fakty, circulation 20 million, and drew over 4,000 replies from across the Soviet Union.

​Organized a delegation of Americans to participate in the inaugural conference of the USSR Association of Peace Through Culture, formed in honor of Nicholas Konstantin Roerich, 1874-1947, one of the most highly revered Russian artists in the Soviet Union.

Launched the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) project committed to bringing together Soviet and American specialists to share experiences and develop healing processes. Esalen collaborated with Earth Stewards Network and numerous Vietnam veterans’ organizations and treatment centers to host the first group of Soviet veterans of Afghanistan to visit the United States.

Coordinated, in conjunction with the United States-based International Center for Economic Growth and Moscow State University, a conference entitled “Entrepreneurship in the World Economy.” The conference drew participants from around the world, including Hernando de Soto, Peruvian economist and author of The Other Path, Leopoldo Solis, senior advisor to the president of Mexico, Mussamel Huq, founder of the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, Gifford Pinchot, author of Intrapreneuring, and Pavel Bunich, a principal economic advisor to Gorbachev.

Hosted Boris Yeltsin on his first trip to the United States partnering with the Foundation for Social Innovations, USA and USSR. The Esalen Soviet Program arranged meetings for Mr. Yeltsin with President George H. W. Bush, Vice President Quayle, National Security Advisor Brent Scowcroft, former President Ronald Reagan, and many other leaders in business and government. The nine-day trip covered eleven cities and gave Mr. Yeltsin his first realistic look at our country and our government.

Signed an agreement with the USSR Academy of Sciences Economics Department, headed by Academician Abel Aganbegyan to promote entrepreneurs in the USSR. A first training for the Academy was conducted by Marshall Fitzgerald, founder of Stanford Telecommunications, and Bob Medearis, founder of Silicon Valley Bank, and was held in Suzdal, outside Moscow.

Signed an agreement with the Estonian Institute of Management Studies and the Estonian Business School to train managers from the Baltic republics. Esalen has been conducting seminars in Estonia since 1987.

Celebrated, with Soviet counterparts including the USSR Union of Writers, the 50th anniversary of the publication of The Grapes of Wrath. Events were held in Steinbeck’s home town of Salinas, California and in Moscow, with leading Steinbeck scholars at Moscow State University, a festival of Steinbeck films, an exhibit of original Steinbeck memorabilia and photographs by Horace Bristol, as well as lectures on Steinbeck’s life and works were held at the Writers Union in Moscow and attended by large audiences. The five Soviet specialists in American literature visited the United States to participate in the 10th Anniversary of the Steinbeck Festival in Salinas. Steinbeck visited the USSR during the height of the Cold War and was a favorite writer among Soviet Citizens.

Hosted a conference on Stalin and Glasnost at Esalen Institute in Big Sur. A number of Soivet specialists and American Sovietologists, historians and political psychologists participated in this historic meeting.

Began the Esalen Dialogue Project that continued for several years. The participants met at regular intervals to discuss the major changes occurring in both nations, not only in terms of glasnost and perestroika in the Soviet Union, but also in terms of how both nations interact in the emerging information age and global economy.

Evolved the Ethnic Conflict Resolution Project from the Stalin and Glasnost conference at Esalen. The project aimed to promote the political/psychological preconditions for fostering a non-violent, pluralistic democracy in the light of recent historical crimes. Originally conceived as a comparative look at the tyranny of Stalin and Hitler and its impact on the politics and destiny of each society.

Began discussions about a Coaching Education Project that evolved from an Esalen Exchange Program trip to the USSR in May 1989 and from subsequent discussions among the Soviet Sport Committee, Esalen guests, former 49er Head Football Coach Bill Walsh, sports psychologist Glen Albaugh and Dulce and Michael Murphy. Recommendations were made at that time for future Soviet-American collaboration. As a result, Glen Albaugh and Ted Leland, soon to be Director of Athletics at Stanford University, led an Applied Sport Psychology Workshop in Moscow.