Nicholas Daniloff

Nicholas S. Daniloff (December 30, 1934 – October 17, 2024) was an American journalist known for his reporting on the Soviet Union. In 1986, he was briefly detained by Soviet security services on espionage charges, sparking a diplomatic crisis.

Background Daniloff was born in Paris, the son of an American mother and a Russian father. His grandfather, general Yuri Danilov, was a chief of operations of Russian Imperial Army general-headquarters during World War I. He grew up in the United States, France, and Argentina, before moving to the United States to attend Harvard University.

The Reagan administration took the position that the Soviets had arrested Daniloff without cause, in retaliation for the arrest three days earlier of Gennadi Zakharov, an employee of the Soviet UN Mission. The Soviets initially contended that Daniloff had confidential government documents on him when he was arrested. Daniloff became an instructor at Northeastern University's School of Journalism, and in 1992 he was named director of the school. He was also one of the co-authors of the book The Oath, a biography of Khassan Baiev. Daniloff published another memoir in 2008.

Personal life and death Daniloff was married to Ruth Dunn from 1961 until her death in January 2024; they had two children. Daniloff died nine months later, at a care home in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on October 17, 2024. He was 89.