Andrey Gromyko is a well-known name in the history of Soviet diplomacy. Thanks to his intuition and personal qualities, he was able to hold out as head of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 28 years. No one else has been able to repeat this. It was not in vain that he was considered a diplomat No. 1. Although he had misses in his career. This person will be discussed in the article.
Basic Biography Facts
Andrei Gromyko was born on 1909-05-07 in the village of Starye Gromyki (the territory of modern Belarus). He was from a poor family, and from the age of 13 he began to earn a living by helping his father. Education of a future diplomat:
- seven-year school;
- vocational school (Gomel);
- Staroborisovsky Agricultural College;
- Economic Institute (Minsk);
- postgraduate study at the Academy of Sciences of the BSSR;
- received a degree from the Institute of Economics of the USSR Academy of Sciences.
To work in the department of the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs, Andrei Gromyko, whose biography is being considered, was suitable for twobasic requirements. Namely, he had a peasant-proletarian origin and spoke a foreign language.
So began his career in diplomacy. Already in 1939, Andrei Andreyevich was appointed adviser to the USSR mission in the United States 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, preparations for three world conferences (Tehran, Potsdam, Y alta). The diplomat was also directly involved in the creation of the UN.
Participation in the UN
Soviet politician Andrey Andreevich 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 the 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 the right of veto, which he used to defend the foreign policy interests of the USSR.
Working at the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Andrey Gromyko was the head of the USSR Foreign Ministry from 1957 to 1985. During this time, he contributed to the process of negotiations on the arms race, including on the reduction of nuclear tests.
Because of the tough style of diplomatic negotiations, the diplomat began to be called "Mr. No" in the foreign press. 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 under the Foreign Ministry under Khrushchev, who was not satisfiedAndrey Andreyevich's lack of flexibility in negotiating. The situation changed under Brezhnev's leadership of the country. They developed a trusting relationship. This period is considered the heyday of the influence of diplomat No. 1 on the state and party affairs of the USSR.
Until the end of his life, Gromyko was engaged in state affairs. He retired in 1988 and died less than a year later.
Participation in the Caribbean Crisis
By 1962, the confrontation between the USSR and the USA reached its climax. This period is called the Cuban Missile Crisis. To a certain 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 of the USSR of its missiles with an atomic charge on the territory of Cuba. The weapon was located off the coast of the United States under the heading "top secret". Therefore, Andrey Andreevich Gromyko, whose biography is being considered, knew nothing about the operation.
After the United States provided images confirming that the Soviet Union had indeed used Cuban territory to pose a military threat against the United States, a "quarantine" was decided. This meant that all ships within a certain distance of Cuba were subject to inspection.
The Soviet Union decided to withdraw its missiles, and the threat of nuclear war was removed. The world lived in anticipation of war for 38 days. The resolution of the Caribbean crisis led to a detente in relations between East and West. A new period has begun in international relations.
Interesting facts
A street and a school in the town of Vetka (Belarus) are named in honor of such a political figure as Gromyko Andrey Andreyevich. And in Gomel, a bronze bust was erected to him. 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 Central Committee of the CPSU, it was Andrei Andreevich who proposed Mikhail Gorbachev's candidacy for the highest post in the country, but after 1988 he began to regret his decision;
- he expressed his motto in diplomacy in one phrase: "Better ten years of negotiations than one day of war";
- despite the strong Belarusian accent in pronunciation, the statesman knew English very well, as evidenced by the memoirs of translator Viktor Sukhodrev;
- from 1958 to 1987 he was the editor-in-chief of the monthly International Affairs.
