Why Khrushchev's speeches during his first visit to the United States were more popular than football, but it all ended in diplomatic failure

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

Now it is difficult to believe that the first visit of the USSR leader to the United States delighted the Americans. Khrushchev's speeches were broadcast on national TV channels, and in terms of ratings they were ahead of even football matches. And the relationship between the front-line soldiers Nikita Sergeevich and Dwight Eisenhower developed well from the very beginning. The leader of the USSR brought special gifts to his American friend, and a lot was expected from this phenomenal rapprochement. But in the end, the diplomatic blitzkrieg did not lead to tangible results, for a number of reasons.

Formation of Soviet-American relations in 1933 - the beginning of rivalry and confrontation

The United States of America categorically refused to recognize the country that declared itself after the October Revolution of 1917. The USSR itself in the early 30s was in the period of its formation, avoiding conflicts with major players in the international arena. Nevertheless, Soviet diplomacy took cautious steps towards expanding foreign policy ties. Diplomatic relations between the United States and the USSR were established in 1933 thanks to the efforts of the Soviet diplomat M. M. Litvinov and the foresight of American President Franklin Roosevelt.

This important event took place in a difficult period for the world community, when there was a stratification of interests of different countries in one region, exacerbation of the relationship of a number of them up to the brewing of serious military conflicts.

It was especially hard for the Soviet Union. Its economy had not yet grown stronger; it was slowly but persistently gaining military and political weight on the world stage, rearming its army and strengthening its composition. In the meantime, the intentions of Germany and Japan to start a war against the USSR were obvious to everyone, and sympathetic countries could join either power.

For the USSR, the recognition of America at that time meant a lot, since even this fact in itself already cooled hotheads in Japan and in other militant countries. In addition, an economically and technologically advanced America could help the Soviet economy boom. But the USA and the USSR still had many unresolved contradictions that hindered the development of their relations. America expected high purchasing activity from the Soviets, and they, in turn, expected concessional loans to make purchases. The United States would like to receive in full from the USSR for the debts of tsarist Russia, but the Soviet Union could not afford this. And this is not the whole list of controversial points.

In foreign policy, America took a wait-and-see and neutral position, so in the military-political plan, the USSR tried to find allies among European states and showed a desire to join the League of Nations with the conclusion of a regional protection treaty. But this did not happen.

A real diplomatic revolution - the invitation of N. S. Khrushchev to America

How could it have happened: the leader of the Communist Party of the USSR was invited to a country that is a stronghold of capitalism and anti-communism, which quite recently was impossible to imagine?

NS. Khrushchev believed that personal contacts between leaders are important for the development of interstate relations - when the rulers agree, then the officials will be able to do this, but they themselves will not achieve tangible results. Therefore, since the mid-50s, his trips abroad were frequent and long. In addition, he was almost always accompanied by his spouse (and sometimes other relatives), which was contrary to the previous attitudes of the Stalin era. Distinguished guests also came to the USSR almost every week. The need for a meeting between the leaders of the two politically and ideologically opposed camps - the USA and the USSR, was recognized by both sides, but it was not so easy to come to this step - the confrontation was too long and deep.

For the first time, Khrushchev met with Eisenhower in 1955 in Geneva at a meeting of the leaders of the four major powers (in addition to the USSR and the United States, the presidents of France and Great Britain were present). They even managed to communicate in person. As a result, mutual sympathy even arose between them. Khrushchev trusted Eisenhower as a front-line soldier, was confident in his decency, believed that he would not allow a military conflict between the Soviet Union and the United States.

The story with the official invitation of Khrushchev to the United States developed as follows. The Soviets had just created a new TU-114 aircraft, which flew non-stop from Moscow to New York. On this trip to the exhibition of the achievements of science and technology, the Soviet delegation was headed by the party functionary Frol Kozlov.

It was through him that on the final day of the delegation's stay in America, an envelope with a letter was handed over, in which Eisenhower invited Khrushchev to visit the United States.

Preparations for the trip of the leader of the Soviet Union were carried out in all directions. The program of the stay was thought over. It was planned that he will stay in America for 13 days and visit its different regions, hold a series of meetings with the political and business circles of the United States.

Nikita Khrushchev's speech at a session of the UN General Assembly with a call for general disarmament

On September 15, 1959, a Soviet Tu-144 aircraft with the number L5611 made a transatlantic flight with the head of government on board and landed at Andrews airbase (traditionally used to meet foreign delegations). During the trip, Khrushchev decided to speak at the UN General Assembly session in New York. Because of this, he had to postpone the date of the meeting with Eisenhower.

On September 18, 1959, Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev spoke at the 14th session of the UN General Assembly. In his welcoming speech, he paid special attention to the new members of the UN, greeted them especially warmly, without making any special curtsies towards the representatives of major powers, which caused approving applause. His speech was in essence accusatory, but at the same time truthful.

The leader of the USSR submitted the "Declaration on General and Complete Disarmament" to the UN. Khrushchev spoke from the UN rostrum that peace and stability will come only if the arms race is abandoned in order to dominate, and if the disarmament process begins and nuclear tests are stopped. He suggested that the giant states liquidate military production within four years, retain only police units with small arms.

Khrushchev shocked everyone with his peace proposal. After all, the Western states were not ready to eliminate the General Staffs and weapons of mass destruction.

Triumphant meeting with Eisenhower. Caviar, nesting dolls and carpets - as a gift

After speaking at the UN, N. Khrushchev visited Washington and Camp David - the country residence of the head of the United States. As gifts, in addition to caviar, vodka, nesting dolls, boxes, carpets, firearms, the USSR Secretary General brought Sholokhov's books published in English, LPs, seedlings for the president's garden.

During his visit (September 15-27, 1959) to the United States, N. Khrushchev held four rounds of negotiations with Eisenhower. The President of America treated him with obvious sympathy. Eisenhower and Khrushchev held two tete-a-tete meetings, besides the heads of state themselves, only translators were present at them. During these meetings, topical issues of relations between the two countries were discussed, and Eisenhower's return visit to the USSR was scheduled.

It should be noted that the attitude towards NS Khrushchev changed as he was gradually recognized. The meeting in official and cold Washington, where the entire political establishment gathered, took place in an atmosphere of caution. But in the future, the Soviet leader was expected to triumph.

Nikita Sergeevich's meetings and his speeches were broadcasted from TV screens more than once a day, thus, his words directly reached a multimillion audience. Easy-to-understand explanations and answers, understandable argumentation, figurative and vivid speech, as if addressed to every ordinary person, far from politics and not experienced in diplomatic subtleties, could not but impress ordinary Americans. They listened to him without looking up from the TV screens. The popularity of such broadcasts was higher than that of TV shows and football matches. When Khrushchev spoke about the advantages of the Soviet system, he did not condemn the American way of life, leaving freedom of choice. He believed that he had enough reasoned to state all the advantages, and the person would compare and make an informed choice.

When on the last day of his visit Nikita Sergeevich returned to Washington, people greeted him with an enthusiastic smile and offers to come again, ordinary Americans simply fell in love with him.

It would seem that everything was going well, but high hopes turned into insignificant results, since no serious agreements were reached between the leaders of the two countries on any controversial issue.

Why hasn't the ice been broken in Soviet-American relations?

The international climate after the meeting of the leaders of the USSR and the United States underwent changes towards warming, but there was no rapprochement of the sides' positions on the issues discussed during the negotiations.

Discussions of problems in the sphere of economics passed without any special results. Restrictions on trade with the countries of the socialist camp have not been lifted. The Soviet delegation touched upon the issue of US-Chinese relations and the representation of the People's Republic of China in the UN (China was declared by this organization as an aggressor against Korea), but the parties did not reach an understanding on it either, as well as on the Taiwan problem (Taiwan became part of the PRC after the defeat Japan at War).

They discussed the settlement of the German question, the status and way of life of Berlin. As a result of the contradictions that arose between the allies of the USSR, Europe and America, a united Germany was divided into two parts - the FRG, where the Western order was preserved, and the GDR, where socialist views on the organization of the life of the state were taken as a basis. But it was not possible to reach a compromise on this issue either.

An attempt to conclude a political agreement between the USSR and the United States turned out to be fruitless, the latter were only ready to agree to the drawing up of a consular agreement.

The results of the talks on cultural exchange cannot be called optimistic, since the American side provided only for their reduction next year.

An important role in the fact that the thaw in relations between the two countries did not become in the spring was played by the violation of air borders by an American reconnaissance aircraft and the subsequent breakdown of negotiations in France.

But Nikita Sergeevich began to show the well-known "Kuzkin's mother" to America later, when it became clear that the visit of the secretary general would not bring any results. Some even argue that Khrushchev did not even bang his boot on the UN rostrum.