"EVERYONE NEEDS PEACE, BOTH CAPITALISTS & COMMUNISTS"

KHRUSHCHEV OFFERS RESOLUTION TO MISSILE CRISIS

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 26, 1962, President John F. Kennedy received a letter from Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev offering a resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis which was in its 11th day.

Chairman Khrushchev wrote...

"Everyone needs peace.  Both capitalists and communists.  War is our enemy and a calamity for all.  We...understand...that if we attack...you will respond."

Khrushchev offered to announce Soviet ships bound for Cuba would be unarmed if the United States pledged not to invade the island.

JFK+50 NOTE

Also on Oct 26 1962, Fidel Castro sent a letter to Khrushchev saying a U.S. invasion of Cuba was "imminent."

SOURCE

"Day 11 of 13 Day Cuban Missile Crisis 51 Years Ago Today," JFK+50, October 26, 2013, www.jfk50.blogspot.com/

Nikita Khrushchev on Cover

Time Magazine

1953

www.picryl.com/

"WHERE WAS HE SITTING WHEN HE POUNDED HIS SHOE?

KHRUSHCHEV 'LOSES HIS COOL' AT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY MEETING

New York City (JFK+50) According to some sources, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev* protested a speech critical of the U.S.S.R., at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly on October 12, 1960, by taking off his shoe and pounding it on his delegate desk.

This event, one of the most bizarre of the Cold War era, is listed as one of top U.N. General Assembly moments by Time Magazine.

Did it really happen?  

Well, like so often in historical accounts, there are differences of opinion.  Some say yes, some no, some perhaps.  According to a U.N. website video "the shoe never appears in UN media coverage."

Despite this, according to Time's Frances Romero, the most frequent question asked of U.N. tour guides is,,, 

"Where was Khrushchev sitting when he pounded his shoe?"

JFK+50 NOTE

Khrushchev objected to a speech by Philippine delegate Lorenzo Sumulong who said "The people of Eastern Europe have been deprived of the free exercise of their civic &  political rights which have been swallowed up...by the Soviet Union."

UN General Assembly president Frederick Boland of Ireland broke his gavel in an attempt to restore order during Khrushchev's alleged outburst.

*Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) was born in Kalinovka, Russia & served as First Secretary of the Communist Party (USSR) 1953-1964 & as Chairman of the Council of Ministers (USSR) 1958-1964.

SOURCES

"Khrushchev Loses His Cool," Top U.N. General Assembly Moments by Frances Romero, Time Magazine, www.content.time.com/

Khrushchev Pounds Shoe At UN," JFK+50, October 12, 2011, www.jfk50.blogspot.com/

"Stories From the U.N. Archive," United Nations, www.news.un.org/ 

Sculpture of Shoe Pounding Incident

by MaHofffmann

2015

CC BY-SA 4.0

"ALL WORK IS WORTHY OF RESPECT"

KHRUSHCHEV NAMED TO  SECRETARIAT OF SOVIET COMMUNIST PARTY

Moscow, USSR (JFK+50) On March 20, 1953, Nikita Khrushchev* is one of five men named to the new office of Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

Five years later, Mr. Khrushchev will ascend to the Premiership of the Soviet Union and will play a major role in the Cold War.  He will gain world-wide attention for his promise "We will bury you," in reference to the United States and the West along with his infamous 'shoe-banging' escapade at the United Nations in New York.

Despite all the bluster, Nikita Khrushchev would oversee a decrease in tensions as the Cold War continued and make a call for "peaceful co-existence."

*Nikita S. Khrushchev (1894-1971) was born in the Ukraine of western Russia & as a young man worked as a shepherd, factory & mine worker.  

NSK served as 1st Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR 1953-1964 & as chairman of the Council of Ministers 1958-1964. 

 He said during a visit to the U.S. "(I am not) ashamed of my past because all work is worthy of respect."

JFK+50 NOTE

President John F. Kennedy met with Premier Khrushchev at the summit conference in Vienna, Austria in June 1961.  JFK, NK noted was young enough to be his son.  The meeting did not go well for JFK and he left Vienna saying, "It's going to be a cold winter."

Khrushchev on the Cover 

of Time Magazine

November 1953

"HE JUST BEAT THE HELL OUT OF ME"

JFK UNPREPARED TO FACE KHRUSHCHEV AT VIENNA SUMMIT

Vienna, Austria (JFK+50) On June 4, 1961 a two day summit between President John F. Kennedy of the United States and Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union concluded here in Vienna.

The summit came on the heels of JFK's election in 1960 as the youngest POTUS and the dismal failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961.*

Historian Richard Reeves writes...

"(JFK) was the young guy and he wanted Khrushchev to believe that he was serious (but) he really didn't listen closely to his own advisers."

Reeves believes that President Kennedy was unprepared for the summit allowing the Soviet leader to "walk all over him."

The President himself would agree.  JFK is quoted as saying following the summit..."He just beat the hell out of me."

Khrushchev threatened a Soviet response if the U.S. challenged him in Berlin.  He said that it is up to the United States "to decide...war or peace."

JFK responded....

"It will be a cold winter."

*JFK was the youngest elected POTUS at age 43 but TR was the youngest POTUS assuming the office at age 42 upon the death of President McKinley.

SOURCES

"JFK Was Completely Unprepared For His Summit with Khrushchev, 'He Just Beat the Hell Out of Me'," History Stories, by Becky Little, July 13, 2018, www.history.com/

"President Kennedy:  Profile of Power," by Richard Reeves, Simon and Schuster, 1994.

   

 

Kennedy & Khrushchev in Vienna

Photo by Stanley Tretick, 1961

NARA Photo

www.flickr.com/

'PRESERVATION OF PEACE SHOULD BE OUR JOINT CONCERN"

KHRUSHCHEV OFFERS RESOLUTION TO CUBAN CRISIS

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On October 26, 1962, Nikita Khrushchev* sent a letter to President John F. Kennedy offering a resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

The Soviet premier proposed to announce that Soviet ships bound for Cuba would NOT carry armaments.  In return, he asked the United States to pledge NOT to invade Cuba.

Premier Khrushchev wrote...

"Everyone needs peace.  Both capitalists and communists. 

 War is a calamity for all.  Let us normalize relations...

Preservation of peace should be our joint concern."

 

*Nikita S. Khrushchev (1894-1971) was born in Kalinovka, Russia & served in WWII.  NSK was 1st Secretary of the Communist Party 1953-1964 & Chairman of the Council of Ministers 1958-1964.

 

SOURCE

"One Minute to Midnight:  Kennedy, Khrushchev and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War," by Michael Dobbs, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008. 

 

 

 

Khrushchev & Kennedy 

Vienna, Austria

June 3, 1961

US State Dept/JFK Library 

WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT REASON WILL TRIUMPH

NUCLEAR WAR IS AVERTED WITH SOVIET ANNOUNCEMENT 

Washington, D.C.  (JFK+50) On Sunday, October 28, 1962, Radio Moscow transmitted a message from Nikita Khrushchev announcing the decision to dismantle Soviet nuclear missiles in Cuba and return them to the USSR.

The following statement was read  at 9 a.m. Washington time...

"This is Moscow speaking.  In order to eliminate...the conflict which endangers the cause of peace...the Soviet government...has given a new order to dismantle the weapons (in Cuba)...and to crate and return them to the Soviet Union."

Premier Khrushchev said, later in the message, that he was assured by President John F. Kennedy's letter of Oct. 27, that the United States would not invade Cuba.

The message concluded with Mr. Khrushchev saying...

"We are confident that reason will triumph, that war will not be unleashed and peace and the security of the peoples will be insured."

President Kennedy called Khrushchev's decision to remove the missiles from Cuba "statesmanlike."   JFK had learned of Khrushchev's decision as he was dressing for church.  He said to Dave Powers...

 "I feel like a new man now.  Do you realize we had an air strike all arranged?  Thank God, it's all over."

SOURCES

"Cuban Missile Crisis Paperweight,"  John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, www.jfklibrary.org/

"One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev & Castro On the Brink of Nuclear War," by Michael Dobbs, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008.

Cuban Missile Crisis Calendar

Gift from JFK to JBK

www.jfklibrary.org/

                  

YOU ACCEPT MY DISARMAMENT PROPOSALS & I'LL ACCEPT CONTROLS!

KHRUSHCHEV LOSES COOL AT UN

New York City (JFK+50) On September 29, 1960, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, while attending a session at the United Nations here in New York,"twice pounded his desk and twice...shouted interruptions to show his disapproval" of UN forces presence in the Belgian Congo.

The outbursts came as British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan was speaking in support of UN President Dag Hammarskjold.  The Soviet Premier also "began shouting" when the Prime Minister "referred to the...four power summit" called off after a U.S. spy plane was shot down.

A short time later, Nikita Khrushchev stood and shouted in Russian..."You accept my disarmament proposals and I'll accept any controls."

According to the History Channel website, two weeks later, on October 12, 1960, the Soviet leader once again lost his cool at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.  The HC describes this outburst as a "tantrum."

Mr. Khrushchev removed one of his shoes and began pounding it on a table in protest.  In attempting to restore order, President Frederick Boland "broke his gavel."

The Soviet Premier's attitude issues would continue after the election of President John F. Kennedy.  JFK was taken aback by the Soviet Premier at their meeting in Vienna in the summer of 1961.  At the end of a long meeting with Nikita Khrushchev, President Kennedy described it in private as "the worst day of my life."

SOURCES

"Khrushchev anger erupts at UN," BBC On This Day, September 29, www.news.bbc.co.uk/

"Nikita Khrushchev throws a tantrum at the United Nations," This Day in History, October 12, www.history.com/

Vice-President Nixon & Premier Khrushchev

NARA Photograph (1959)

TWO WEEK STATE VISIT MARKED BY CHAOS

AMERICA WELCOMES SOVIET LEADER

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On September 15, 1959, Nikita Khrushchev arrived here in the Nation's Capital becoming the first Soviet head of state to visit the United States.

Mr. Khrushchev attended formal receptions after being welcomed at the airport by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and riding in a motorcade downtown.  The two leaders then sat down for a 2 1/2 hour discussion.

According to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, the two-week visit "was cloaked by barely concealed threats and marked by chaos."

Most familiar is the Premier's expressed desire to visit Disneyland which was turned down by his hosts because of security concerns.

After a week of talks with Ike at Camp David, the Premier toured the United States guided by Vice-President Henry Cabot Lodge.  In Hollywood, Khrushchev seemed to enjoy the performance of the Can-Can by actress Shirley MacLaine and her company of "scantily dressed...young ladies," although Mrs. Khrushchev did not.

SOURCES

"Khrushchev arrives in Washington,"  This Day in History:  September 15, www.history.com/

"Khrushchev Visits America-A Cold War Comedy of Errors, Act I.," Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training," www.adst.org/

Eisenhowers & Khrushchevs

White House State Dinner (1959)

NARA Photo

IN AMERICA WE LIKE TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR WOMEN

KHRUSHCHEV & NIXON FACE OFF IN KITCHEN DEBATE

Moscow, USSR (JFK+50) On July 24, 1959, Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the USSR and Vice President Richard Nixon of the USA squared off in an informal debate at the American National Exhibition* here in Moscow.

The superpowers had agreed to display exhibits as part of a cultural exchange program.  The Soviet exhibit opened in New York in 1958. The American exhibit in Moscow included a complete house filled with modern kitchen appliances.

As they came to the kitchen display, the Vice-President said...

"This is our newest model.  This is the kitchen which is built in thousands of units for direct installations in the houses.  In America, we like to make life easier for women."

The Premier replied...

"Your capitalistic attitude toward women does not occur under communism."

*American National Exhibition was held in Sokol'niki Park in Moscow in the summer of 1959.  ANE included displays of American home appliances, television & hi-fidelity equipment as well as cars & boats.  The purpose of the exhibit was to improve relations between the superpowers.

SOURCE

"The Kitchen Debate," www.teachingamericanhistory.org/

Khrushchev and Nixon 

Kitchen Debate

July 24, 1959

THE SPACE RACE WAS ON

JFK+50:  Volume 7, No. 2461

SOVIETS LAUNCHED SPUTNIK 60 YEARS AGO 

Moscow, USSR (JFK+50) Sixty years ago today, October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union successfully launched the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth, Sputnik I.  

The satellite traveled at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour with each orbit taking 96.2 minutes to complete.  Soviet designers, engineers and technicians waited until 90 minutes after lift-off to inform Premier Nikita Khrushchev because they wanted to be certain of the mission's success.

Soviet news agency TASS reported...

"As a result of great, intense work of scientific institutes and design bureaus, the first artificial satellite has been built."

Sputnik I was 23 inches in diameter and made of polished metal.  The satellite had four external radio antennas which sent out pulses until the batteries lost power after 22 days in space.

Sputnik completed 1,440 orbits before its service ended on Jan. 4, 1958.

Seth Shostak reminds us that this satellite, about the size of a fitness ball, absolutely stunned most Americans.   "It greatly increased spending on science education," and within a year NASA was established.  The space race was on.

SOURCE

"Sputnik Shook the Nation 60 Years Ago.  That Could Happen Again", by Seth Shostak, October 4, 2017, MACH, www.nbcnews.com/

Replica of Sputnik I
US National Air & Space Museum
Washington, D.C.
NSSDC, NASA Photo (2004)

JFK's LITTLE WAR AGAINST CUBA

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1923

KHRUSHCHEV WARNS JFK OF A "INCOMPARABLE CONFLAGRATION"

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) As the invasion of Cuba at the Bay of Pigs continued into its second day,  55 years ago today, April 18, 1961, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev sent a message to President John F. Kennedy warning that his "little war" against Cuba might result in an...
 "incomparable conflagration between the US and Soviet Union."

President Kennedy, who continued to deny any direct involvement by American forces in the invasion, responded by writing... 

"I trust that this does not mean the Soviet government, using the situation in Cuba as a pretext, is planning to inflame other areas of the world."

JFK went on in his reply to say that while the US was not involved directly in the invasion...

"the people of the United States do not conceal their admiration for Cuban patriots who wish to see a democratic system in an independent Cuba.
The United States government can take no action to stifle the spirit of liberty."

In the first 24 hours of the invasion, Fidel Castro ordered 20,000 Cuban troops to the beach at the Bay of Pigs while the Cuban Air Force took control of the sky.  When the fighting ended, more than a hundred exiles were dead and the rest captured.

JFK publicly accepted responsibility for the disaster a few days later and said to friends privately..."How could I have been so stupid?"

JFK Accepts Brigade's Flag in Miami 

Photo by Cecil Stoughton

    December 1962

    JFK Library

KHRUSHCHEV ARRIVES IN WASHINGTON

JFK+50:  Volume 5, No. 1714

KHRUSHCHEV BECOMES 1ST SOVIET HEAD OF STATE TO VISIT USA

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) Fifty-six years ago today, September 15, 1959, Nikita Khrushchev arrived here in the captial of the United States becoming the first Soviet head of state to visit our country.

The Premier attended formal receptions after being welcomed at the airport by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and riding in a motorcade downtown.  Very quickly, the two world leaders sat down for a 2 1/2 hour discussion.

Upon arrival, Khrushchev said..."The Soviet people want to live in friendship with the American people."

According to the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training, the two-week visit "was cloaked by barely concealed threats and marked by chaos."
Most familiar is the Premier's expressed desire to visit Disneyland which was turned down by his hosts because of security concerns.

After a week of talks with President Eisenhower at Camp David, the Premier toured the United States guided by Vice-President Henry Cabot Lodge.  In Hollywood, Khrushchev seemed to enjoy the performance of the Can-Can by actress Shirley MacLaine and her company of "scantily dressed...young ladies," although Mrs. Khrushchev did not.

SOURCES

"Khrushchev arrives in Washington,"  This Day in History:  September 15, www.history.com/

"Khrushchev Visits America-A Cold War Comedy of Errors, Act I.," Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training," www.adst.org/

Eisenhowers & Khrushchevs

White House State Dinner (1959)

NARA Photo

SPUTNIK I

SOVIETS LAUNCH FIRST MAN MADE SATELLITE

Moscow, USSR (JFK+50) Fifty-seven years ago today, October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union announced the successful launch of Sputnik I, the first man-made satellite to orbit the Earth.  

Sputnik traveled at a speed of 18,000 miles per hour with each orbit taking 96.2 minutes to complete.

"Dawn of the Space Age"

by Gregory R. Todd

October 4, 2007

The designers, engineers and technicians of the satellite informed Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev 90 minutes after lift-off because they wanted to be certain of the success of the mission.

Soviet news agency TASS reported:

"As a result of great, intense work of scientific institutes and design bureaus, the 1st artificial satellite has been built."

Sputnik I was 23 inches in diameter and made of polished metal.  The satellite had four external radio antennas which sent out pulses until the batteries lost power after 22 days in space.

Sputnik I Arming Key

Only Remaining Piece

National Air and Space Museum

Alkivar at wikipedia project

President Dwight D. Eisenhower was not surprised by the announcement of the launch of Sputnik but was surprised by the reaction of shock by the American people that the Soviets were so far ahead of us in the space race.

In the 1960 presidential election campaign, Democratic nominee John F. Kennedy would argue that the United States should move ahead of the Soviets in the space race.

Sputnik completed 1,440 orbits before its service ended on Jan. 4, 1958.