Andrei Gromyko is a well-known name in the history of USSR diplomacy . Thanks to his intuition and personal qualities, he was able to hold out on the post of head of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 28 years. No one else could repeat this. It was not in vain that he was considered diplomat No. 1. Although he had misses in his career. This person will be discussed in the article.
Key Biography Facts
Andrey Gromyko was born on July 5, 1909 in the village of Stary Gromyki (the territory of modern Belarus). He was from a poor family, and from the age of 13 he began to earn a living helping his father. Education of the future diplomat:
- seven year school;
- vocational school (Gomel);
- Staroborisovsky Agricultural College;
- Institute of Economics (Minsk);
- postgraduate study at the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR;
- received a degree at the Institute of Economics of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
For work in the department of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Gromyko, whose biography is under consideration, was suitable for two basic requirements. Namely - he had a peasant-proletarian origin and spoke a foreign language.
Thus began his career in diplomacy. Already in 1939, Andrei Andreyevich was appointed adviser to the USSR mission in the USA from 1939 to 1943. From 1943 to 1946, he was appointed Soviet ambassador to the United States. In addition, he took an active part in diplomatic relations with Cuba, in preparation for three world conferences (Tehran, Potsdam, Yalta). The diplomat was directly related to the creation of the UN.
UN membership
Soviet politician Andrei Gromyko was one of those who stood at the origins of the UN in the post-war period. It is his stroke that stands under the Charter of an international organization. He was a participant, and later the head of the USSR delegation at the sessions of the UN General Assembly.
In the Security Council, the diplomat had a veto, which he used to defend the foreign policy interests of the USSR.
Work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR
Andrei Gromyko was the head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR from 1957 to 1985. During this time, he contributed to the arms race negotiation process, including regarding the reduction of nuclear tests.
Due to the tough style in diplomatic negotiations, the diplomat was called in the foreign press "Mr. No." Although he himself noted that in the negotiations he had to hear negative answers from opponents much more often.
The diplomat felt the greatest difficulties in working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Khrushchev, who was not satisfied with the lack of flexibility in negotiating Andrei Andreyevich. The situation changed under the leadership of the country Brezhnev. They have developed trusting relationships. This period is considered the heyday of the influence of diplomat No. 1 on state and party affairs of the USSR.
Until the end of his life, Gromyko was engaged in public affairs. He retired in 1988, and died in less than a year.
Involvement in the Caribbean Crisis
By 1962, the confrontation between the USSR and the USA reached its zenith. This period was called the Caribbean crisis. To some extent, what happened is connected with the position of the diplomat. Andrei Gromyko held talks on this issue with John F. Kennedy, but, not having reliable information, the Soviet statesman could not conduct them at the proper level.
The essence of the conflict between the two superpowers of that time was the deployment by the USSR of its missiles with an atomic charge in Cuba. The weapon was located off the coast of the United States under the heading "top secret." Therefore, Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko, whose biography is being examined, did not know anything about the operation.
After the United States provided photographs confirming that the Soviet Union did indeed use Cuban territory to create a military threat against the United States, a decision was made to quarantine. This meant that all vessels located at a certain distance from Cuba were subject to inspection.
The Soviet Union decided to export missiles, and the threat of nuclear war was removed. The world lived in anticipation of the war for 38 days. The resolution of the Caribbean crisis has led to a relaxation in relations between East and West. A new period has begun in international relations.
Interesting Facts
In honor of such a politician as Andrey Gromyko, a street and a school in the city of Vetka (Belarus) are named. And in Gomel he got a bronze bust. By 2009, compatriots issued a postage stamp dedicated to the diplomat.
There are a number of unconfirmed facts about the activities of the diplomat:
- in 1985, at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee, it was Andrei Andreevich who proposed the candidacy of Mikhail Gorbachev for the highest post in the country, but after 1988 he began to regret his decision;
- he expressed his motto in diplomacy with one phrase: “Better ten years of negotiations than one day of war”;
- despite the strong Belarusian accent in pronunciation, the statesman knew English well, as evidenced by the memoirs of the translator Viktor Sukhodrev;
- From 1958 to 1987, he was the editor-in-chief of the International Life monthly.