In This Feature
JFK Library
Nikita Khrushchev, Soviet Premier
by
findingDulcinea Staff
On the eve of a thirteen day visit to the United States, Khrushchev had two requests: to visit Disneyland and to meet John Wayne, a the era's top Hollywood actor. But upon arrival to Disneyland, he was refused entry in light of the Cold War and the security risks posed. This symbolized the oft-tumultuous relationship between the Soviet leader and the United States.
Putting Up a Wall
Khrushchev became Chief Director of the Soviet Union after the death of Joseph Stalin. He was replaced in 1964 by Leonid Brezhnev and lived under the watchful eye of the KGB during the final years of his life. He is best remembered for his 1961 approval of plans proposed by East German leader Walter Ulbricht to build the Berlin Wall, thereby reinforcing the Cold War division of Germany, and of Eastern Europe. He also initiated the deployment of nuclear missiles in Cuba, which led to the Cuban missile crisis of 1962.
For an overview of his life and accomplishments, read the New York Times obituary of the former U.S.S.R. leader.
Source: The New York Times
From the Archives
Read the complete text of “The Secret Speech,” in which Khrushchev condemned Stalin’s rule and initiated change in the U.S.S.R.
Source: Fordham University
BBC’s “On This Day in History” article covers Khrushchev’s 1956 denunciation of Stalin. Look for a timeline of the former U.S.S.R. on the right-hand sidebar.
Source: The History Cooperative
Man of the Year
Nikita Khrushchev was named Time magazine’s 1957 Man of the Year. See the cover with the link below.
Source: Time Magazine
Khrushchev quashed much the of the spirit of intellectual activism in the Soviet Union by sanctioning Boris Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago, published in 1957. Khrushchev also refused to allow Pasternak to accept the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958.
Source: Doctor Zhivago
The Thaw
Time magazine chronicled the 1959 Camp David negotiations between Eisenhower and Khrushchev. This meeting is often referred to as the “Thaw in the Cold War” because of the genial rapport between the two leaders.
Source: Time Magazine
On the Farm
In 1959 Khrushchev visited Iowa to figure out why America was so successful with agriculture while the U.S.S.R. continued to fail with farming. This article discusses the foreign policy encounter that took place on a small American farm.
Source: The History Cooperative
The end of the Cuban Missile Crisis came on October 28 1962. The Soviet Government agreed to dismantle its weapons in Cuba. Read more about Khrushchev and JFK’s interaction during the crisis from GlobalSecurity.org.
Source: Global Security
Arriving at Peace
The Avalon Project at Yale University provides access to full text of the memos and other communication that occurred between Khrushchev and J.F.K. during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This letter signifies the final peace agreement between the two politicians.
Source: The Avalon Project
In this New Statesman article, Khrushchev’s granddaughter talks about his famous temper and shoe-pounding displays of anger at the United Nations.
Source: The New Statesman
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