At first glance, the similarities between the photographs are uncanny.

In both, a senior American politician appears to be lecturing a Russian leader , with an anxious-looking translator of similar build and hairstyle standing tensely between them.

Richard Nixon, jaw clenched, jabs a finger as he berates Nikita Khrushchev during the famous “Kitchen Debate” of 1959. Donald Trump wears a similarly stern expression, his outstretched finger hovering near Vladimir Putin’s lapel.

But even if the camera never lies, it can mislead.

Nixon and Khrushchev’s clash was authentic. Then serving as Dwight Eisenhower’s vice-president, Nixon was touring an exhibition at Moscow’s Sokolniki Park designed to showcase the wonders of American consumerism. The Soviets had just held a counterpart fair in New

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