The man who dedicated his life to connecting Russia and Alaska

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When Kirill Dmitriev recently suggested building a tunnel between Alaska and Siberia beneath the Bering Strait, it set off the kind of media storm that George Koumal had always dreamed of. For the last 30 years of his life, the Czech-born mining engineer relentlessly lobbied for what he and his colleagues called “The Project” and what later became known as the InterContinental Railway (ICR). George organized international conferences and traveled the globe, speaking about a tunnel that would link his two worlds – East and West – with the promise of bringing “peace, progress, and prosperity” to humanity.

When I first met George and his Alaskan partner Joe Henri at a U.S.-Russian conference in Washington, DC in 2010, I knew immediately that they would be at the heart of the film I had long been planning about the tunnel. They struck me as a kind of Odd Couple: two humorous old men with a big dream and a knack for getting invited to places I never dreamed of visiting – such as a reception at the Russian Embassy and a meeting with then-U.S. Congressman Dennis Kucinich, who was intrigued by The Project.

Before long, I was following George and Joe across the U.S. and Europe with my camera, trying to make sense of who the players were in this complex geopolitical theater, and how they might actually be able to achieve their dream of linking North America and Asia.

In 2018, “The Strait Guys” finally started to take shape. With the backing of German, Canadian, and Finnish television and several German film funds, we were able to go on an ambitious journey along the proposed railroad route across Alaska and Siberia, and then all the way to the Bering Strait. Joe was unable to join us beyond some meetings in Anchorage, but by then a new, younger “Strait Guy” had entered the picture. That was the railroad and transportation consultant Scott Spencer, who had experience working on international megaprojects. Scott knew the ins and outs of meeting with various stakeholders and the importance of listening to everyone’s concerns. These skills came in handy while visiting the native communities of Wales and Little Diomede on the Alaskan side of the Bering Strait.

As the closest point to Russia on the North American continent, Wales is a natural choice for the eastern tunnel portal. But the local population of some 100 indigenous people, who live off the land as much as possible, weren’t exactly thrilled by the prospect of a huge tunnel being built next to their village. What would happen to their picking areas and the wildlife they depended upon for their hunting and fishing?

Similar concerns were raised on Little Diomede, which has an even smaller population than Wales. Many of the island’s residents couldn’t fathom how the tunnel could solve their transportation and logistics challenges. Instead, they feared losing their traditional way of life, which is already suffering due to climate change. Rising water temperatures mean the ice no longer freezes solid enough to build an ice runway in the winter time. And the seals and walruses their ancestors hunted for centuries are moving northward in search of colder waters. Now the islanders live largely off of processed foods flown in on the weekly mail helicopter.

While the Strait Guys met with a good deal of skepticism in Alaska, they were welcomed with open arms in Russia. I had heard rumors that the Russians were already extending their rail line toward the Bering Strait, but it wasn’t until we stood at the railhead in Nizhny Bestyakh (a small rural locality near Yakutsk in Siberia) and looked across the subgrade curving into the distance that I realized these were not rumors. The Russians were actually building, and the Yakutia Railways executives were excited to show George, Scott and their Russian partner Victor their plans.

They were also eager to take them for a ride in the General Electric locomotive they had readied extra for their special guests from the United States. I was witnessing peaceful U.S.-Russian cooperation in action, and felt like the InterContinental Railway could one day become reality – if only the Americans would follow the Russians’ lead.

Now that Kirill Dmitriev has stirred up the discussion and suggested that Elon Musk’s The Boring Company could build the tunnel, maybe the project will gain a prominent advocate in the U.S. at last. This would be a tremendous tribute to the Strait Guys, and all the efforts that they and their predecessors have made over the past 150 years to unite the world and create “peace, progress, and prosperity” for all. George and Joe would be very happy right now.

Rick Minnich is the director of “The Strait Guys.” He has also helmed numerous other documentaries, including “The Presidents’ Tailor”, “Good Guys & Bad Guys” and “The Bomb Hunters.”