Marguerite was betting that the guards on the frontier would find her an interesting diversion and so not shoot her.
Her hunch proved to be correct. The guards were shocked to discover an American female reporter who told them she wanted to go to Moscow to report on the great Bolshevik experiment. But while they tried to figure out what to do with her, they treated courteously. The soldiers and peasants she met happily told her about their lives, shared their meals, showed their schools and hospitals, and taught her Russian folk songs.
Over the next several weeks, the soldiers passed her up the chain of command until she reached the division headquarters at Vitebsk, where officials telegrammed Moscow. The Reds granted her request to continue to the capital, and at last, on Feb. 21, she and Dr. Karlin arrived at Alexandrovsky Station northwest of the city.
The Liberation of Marguerite Harrison 