VOKS (Russian: Всесоюзное общество культурной связи с заграницей, Society for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries) was an organization created by the USSR in 1925 and officially tasked with cultural exchanges with other countries, but was criticized by western government officials and press as being a propaganda organization. The organization was disbanded in 1958 and replaced with another "friendship organization" called the "Union of Soviet Societies for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries". VOKS had branches under various names in different countries including the "America Society for Cultural Relations with Russia" founded around 1926 and the Society for Polish-Soviet Friendship (TPPR) created in 1944. VOKS gained new notoriety when U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy accused American journalist Edward R. Murrow of colluding with the organization on his program See It Now. This organization is often served as a convenient “roof” for operations of Soviet intelligence.
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