Mr and Mrs Ikeda visited Russia for the first time in September 1974. Rector Alexei Khokhlov of the University of Moscow and his wife, Dr Elena, welcomed them. Their trip took place during the height of the cold war, and they were criticised by people in society and even by some within the Soka Gakkai for going to China and immediately continuing on to the Soviet Union. When people would ask Mr Ikeda why he was going to a country that denied religious freedom, he answered, “Because there are people there.”

His view was affirmed by the warm reception they received from Rector Khokhlov and his wife. Both Mr and Mrs Ikeda found them to be wonderful, intelligent people with a warm sense of humanity. Their perception of the Soviet Union changed completely after meeting the Khokhlovs. They were delighted to discover that this country that had been shut so tightly behind the Iron Curtain had people of such fine character. The rector and his wife and all of the people Mr and Mrs Ikeda met who were associated with them were very warm, and they were happy that they could open up wide avenues for new friendships. The rector and his wife seemed equally pleased at meeting Mr and Mrs Ikeda. Through their encounter with Mr and Mrs Ikeda, they said, “We have made a million friends.” [referring to the members of the Soka Gakkai]

At the hotel Mr and Mrs Ikeda were staying, located close to the Kremlin, each floor had a person on duty with whom Mr and Mrs Ikeda checked their room key. The person on their floor was a middle-aged woman. Each time they passed her in the hallway, they greeted her warmly. At first, she was at a loss how to respond, but after a while, she returned their smiles cheerfully. When Mr and Mrs Ikeda spoke with her, they learned that she had lost her husband in the war. They once again sensed that, in a wife’s grieving heart or a mother’s prayer, the profound desire for peace knows no borders.