The National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in the USA took the occasion of the 1966 International Congress of Mathematicians as the opportunity for arranging with the Russian authorities a tour of Soviet mathematical centres by a small party of selected American mathematicians with special experience and interests in various aspects of education. The tour covered Kiev, Moscow and Leningrad and it was hoped that, in each city, a full range of mathematical education would be seen, from the department of mathematics in the University to the famous special boarding schools for pupils of outstanding mathematical ability and finally to the elementary level.

I was honoured to be invited to join the party as the only non-American and am very grateful to the Schools Council for enabling me to go by offering to meet the costs of travel and subsistence.