Screen rights to Noel Behn’s 1966 novel, The Kremlin Letter, were acquired by producer Sam Wiesenthal, who planned to make the film adaptation in association with his brother, Harold Wiesenthal, according to a 9 Sep 1966 DV item. Several months later, the 7 Apr 1967 DV reported that Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corp. had purchased the option from Sam Wiesenthal, and that Fox executive Richard D. Zanuck had recently assigned John Huston to write, produce, and direct the picture. Prior to the announcement of the Fox deal, Dell Books had prematurely released an advertisement for the paperback version of Behn’s novel, touting it as a “major 20th Century-Fox motion picture,” as noted in the 8 Mar 1967 Var. Huston sought Steve McQueen to play a leading role, but the actor was unable to participate due to prior commitments, according to a 12 Apr 1967 Var news brief. The following year, DV items published between Jul and Dec 1968 stated that Huston and Fox were in talks with actors Warren Beatty, James Coburn, and David Niven to star, although none appeared in the final film.
       The 27 Aug 1968 LAT noted that producer Carter De Haven, III, had re-teamed with Huston on The Kremlin Letter, after their recent collaboration on A Walk with Love and Death (1969, see entry). De Haven was quoted in a 1 Nov 1968 DV article as saying that the $6-$7 million project would not be filmed in Romania as initially planned because Romanian officials feared “Soviet displeasure” about the film’s content. Instead, Huston and De Haven planned to visit the U.S.S.R. for research only. It was later rumored in a 16 May 1969 DV item that they had smuggled footage of the Bolshoi Ballet out of the country, to be used in the film.
       A production chart in the 21 Feb 1969 DV noted that principal photography had begun on 17 Feb 1969 in Helsinki, Finland, which doubled as Moscow. According to an article in the 11 May 1969 LAT, the reproduction of Moscow Square, including a full-size Vladimir Lenin statue, angered the U.S.S.R., which responded by putting diplomatic pressure on the Finns and denying visas to people associated with the film. The following month, a 19 Mar 1969 Var brief reported that production had moved to Rome, Italy, where some shooting took place at Dino De Laurentiis Studios. From Rome, cast and crew moved to New York City, the 27 Apr 1969 NYT reported. Additional shooting was set to be completed in Mexico City, Mexico, according to various contemporary sources including the 9 May 1969 DV.
       Although De Haven referred to The Kremlin Letter as a “borderline X” film due to its nudity, drugs, and perversion, it ultimately received an “M” rating (for mature audiences) from the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Theatrical release took place in New York City on 1 Feb 1970. The picture went on to become a critical and commercial failure. It was referred to as a “bomb” in the 5 Apr 1970 LAT, and the 13 Jan 1971 Var called it a “wrecker” for Fox, whose negative expenditure was said to have approached $6 million, while the movie’s domestic box-office gross was still shy of $1 million.
       Michael Maslansky served as publicist, as stated in a 2 Apr 1969 Var article. Items in the 17 Feb 1969 DV and 21 Feb 1969 LAT indicated that Sam Jaffe was a cast member.