Kovalev B. N. Preparations for the Visit of American President Dwight Eisenhower to the USSR in 1960
DOI:10.22394/2225-8272-2025-14-4-11 EDN SZFVDG
Keywords:
N. S. Khrushchev, D. Eisenhower, N. S. Khrushchev's visit to the USA, the thaw, preparations for the visit of the US President to the USSRAbstract
The purpose of the study is to comprehensively reconstruct and analyze the preparatory process for the planned but failed visit of the U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower to the USSR in May 1960 as a key moment in the history of Soviet-American relations during the Cold War.
Problem. The article is devoted to the question of how two superpowers, in a state of deep ideological and military confrontation, organized a diplomatic act unprecedented in its symbolic significance. The question is raised about the internal logic and motives of the parties, as well as about specific mechanisms for preparing the visit against the background of the ongoing arms race. Special attention is paid to the contradiction between the declared course of detente and the growing hidden and overt conflicts.
Methodology. The research is based on the methods of historical reconstruction and comparative analysis of archival sources. The documents of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, Russian and American state archives are used as materials. The sources were minutes of meetings of the Central Committee of the CPSU, official memos of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and embassies, diplomatic correspondence, as well as press materials of that time. The review of the existing historiography of foreign policy during the Khrushchev thaw is carried out.
Novelty and results. The novelty of the study is seen in the detailed coverage of the preparatory stage, which makes it possible to better understand how the mechanism of Soviet-American diplomatic contacts at the highest level was formed. For the first time, new data from Russian archives are being introduced into scientific circulation. It is shown that by May 1960, the USSR had agreed on the delegation's stay programs, and security and ceremonial issues had been resolved. The author focuses on the key issues: on disputes about the route, difficulties in ensuring the openness of the visit to Western journalists, and internal political disagreements in the Soviet leadership. The author concludes that both sides considered the visit as an important tool for propaganda and verification of the opponent's intentions, but mutual distrust and, ultimately, the incident with the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft made its implementation impossible.
Research perspectives. This work provides the basis for further comparative studies of scenarios for the preparation of other failed summits, as well as for a deeper study of the impact of intelligence operations and propaganda on the diplomatic process during the Cold War.
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