"I am an incorrigible person, I do not believe in anyone, I do not believe in anyone, I do not even believe in myself..."
"Potato Politician"
After Stalin's death in March 1953, one was called by the outside world
The stocky, balding man, who stood out in the supreme power struggle in the Soviet Union, became the supreme leader of the Soviet Union at that time, and climbed to the peak of his political career
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev.
As the supreme leader of the Soviet Union, Khrushchev seems to have his own independent personality and temper, and in people's minds, this is a prime minister who speaks loudly, dresses unpretentiously, acts ostentatiously, behaves rudely, speaks without any scruples, and has formed his own distinct Hessch style.
For example, he once took off his shoes and knocked on the table in front of the United Nations General Assembly to express his dissatisfaction and protest, but the reality was that this was a carefully arranged move, a threatening diplomatic tactic that had been prepared for a long time. Because when he hit the table with his shoes, he was actually wearing another pair of leather shoes on his feet.
During Khrushchev's administration, during the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union once fell into a stalemate. At the beginning of his administration, he always had a tough attitude toward the West, repeatedly making wild remarks, such as bluntly saying to Western diplomats:
"We are going to bury you" ("Мы вас похороним!)
At a press conference, he openly declared:
"West Berlin is a malignant tumor in East Germany", and the Soviet Union will undergo surgery to remove this malignant tumor"
But after a few years in power, Khrushchev changed his previous tough attitude and changed his usual flamboyant style, thus becoming the first supreme head of state in Soviet history to set foot on the United States mainland.
Two "bizarre" requirements
In January 1959, Mikoyan, vice chairman of the Council of Ministers of the USSR, visited the United States
It called on the United States to be able to conduct bilateral talks between the United States and the Soviet Union, which also eased the original tense and antagonistic relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union. In the same month, Khrushchev also said in his report that he hoped to end the Cold War with the United States at an early date and took the initiative to invite him
U.S. President Eisenhower
Visit the USSR.
Eisenhower
In the face of the friendly signal sent by the Soviet Union, Eisenhower also made his own response, inviting Khrushchev to also visit the United States, and Khrushchev was very excited after receiving Eisenhower's invitation letter, and immediately arranged a trip for himself to visit the United States.
Khrushchev is obviously looking forward to this visit to the United States, but he also proposed this visit to the United States
Two somewhat "bizarre" requirements
For a while, the Americans were also a little stunned and confused, because the two demands he made were very ordinary and had almost nothing to do with politics:
The first requirement is to visit Disneyland in the United States;
The second requirement is to have dinner with Marilyn Monroe, a sexy actress in the United States.
It also makes people wonder what the purpose of Khrushchev's two demands is.
For these two not excessive requests of Khrushchev, the United States also quickly agreed, and planned the disneyland play route for him in advance, and also communicated with Monroe and obtained Monroe's consent. However, the news of Khrushchev's visit to the United States and his two demands soon spread throughout the streets of the United States, and the American people questioned:
"Khrushchev, is it a man or a monster?" ”
Apparently, the American masses were not happy, they believed that Disneyland was a paradise-like place for children to bring happiness, and they did not allow politicians from the Soviet Union to appear in this pure and immaculate land.
Faced with the strong opposition of the American masses, Khrushchev had no choice but to cancel his trip to Disneyland. As for Monroe, this concerned only her personal wishes, not other factors, and she could decide for herself whether or not to meet with Khrushchev.
But if Monroe also refuses to meet, it is bound to cause unhappiness on both sides, and this historic US-Soviet meeting may also be unhappy, so under the repeated requests of the US officials, Monroe still agreed to this meeting invitation with face.
A visit to the United States
September 1959
，
Khrushchev officially embarked on his 13-day visit to the United States and landed on the 15th
Andrews Air Force Base, UNITED States.
At this time, in the eyes of the Americans, a Soviet leader who was only 168 centimeters tall, with a large belly, a round face, a mole on his cheek, and bright blue eyes, the woman in the crowd could not help but say:
"What an interesting man".
Khrushchev's entire trip to the United States was fully arranged, he visited the Los Angeles City Hall, and went to Hollywood, at the invitation of 20th Century Fox, visited the Hollywood film studio, and saw the filming process of American films.
At the banquet that Khrushchev was most looking forward to with Marilyn Monroe, the U.S. government made many adjustments to the banquet, which was completely different from the meeting that Khrushchev imagined, and the banquet was changed from a dinner party to a luncheon, not a separate party for two people, but a large-scale banquet attended by 400 people.
And the members who participated in this banquet were all representatives of all walks of life in the United States with heads and faces. In addition, there are some Hollywood actors, including Marilyn Monroe, for example
Elizabeth Taylor, who played cleopatra, and Gary Cooper, who won the Oscar for best actor, and so on.
The U.S. government also specially arranged the location of Marilyn Monroe next to Khrushchev, and there were reports in the United States that after seeing Monroe herself, Khrushchev shook hands with her and told her:
"You are a very lovely lady".
At the banquet, Khrushchev still did not shy away from speaking directly, but with a little sense of humor, he said bluntly at the banquet:
"Americans advocate for freedom, but sometimes they're really stingy and won't even let me visit Disneyland."
Then he quipped, "There must be missile launchers hidden in this Disneyland." ”
After speaking, the crowd looked at each other and laughed. Even Marilyn Monroe, who was beside her, said:
"The prime minister's speech just now is really interesting."
For a time, it also made the originally restrained and awkward atmosphere become much more relaxed and pleasant.
During the banquet, Khrushchev also chatted with many Hollywood stars, especially for Marilyn Monroe, Khrushchev even took the initiative to invite her, inviting her to have the opportunity to travel to the Soviet Union, and also said that the Soviet people were very warm, and would also treat her beautiful woman well, and if he had the opportunity, he could also make pie for her to eat.
After the luncheon, Khrushchev said that he was very satisfied with the itinerary of the United States and had a pleasant meeting with President Eisenhower.
True purpose
But is Khrushchev's visit to the United States really so simple? Of course not, the two requests he made above: visiting Disneyland, and naming to see Marilyn Monroe, are far from being as simple as they seem, but they actually have another meaning.
Because in the impression of many Americans at that time, the Soviets were serious, grumpy, and old-fashioned, so Khrushchev proposed to visit Disneyland, that is, to establish a people-friendly image, to break the Americans' previous inherent cognition of the Soviet Union, and to demonize the image of the Soviet Union, so that Americans know that the Soviets are also childlike people, and there is also a gentle and kind side.
And the roll call to have dinner with Marilyn Monroe, the same is true, he hopes that americans know that he is not the devil, but also an ordinary person, and like people like stars, like to see beautiful women, the Soviets are also flesh and blood, cannibal fireworks, ordinary people with their own hobbies.
But later, before Marilyn Monroe even had a chance to visit the Soviet Union, Khrushchev first gave the United States his own "missile gift."
Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962
The outbreak almost dragged the world into the vortex of a nuclear war, and the short honeymoon period between the United States and the Soviet Union was gone.