Nikita Khrushchev Quotes
Kennedy was a new, young President, and the more experienced Nikita Khrushchev was soon to be facing a Communist Party Congress in Russia and wanted to demonstrate his prowess. He therefore went after Kennedy diplomatically and got the better of him at that meeting. Kennedy was a fast learner and never again had such a poor foreign policy performance.
The “execution” to which she refers was the famous speech given to communist party leaders by Nikita Khrushchev where he publicly revealed the worst crimes of Stalin and Stalinist Russia. Prior to that, publicly Stalin was godlike in the Soviet Union. Decades of disillusionment with Stalinist Russia set the stage for the fall of the Soviet Union which was also accompanied by massive corruption, economic chaos and a diminution of the standard of living of most Russians. Some, including many of the younger people who had not lived through the Stalinist horrors, were resentful that the great era of Soviet military, scientific, and political greatness and dominance was completely overshadowed by the revelation of the purges, gulags, terror and murder. Prudnikova represents that school of thought.
Addressing his opponent, Richard Nixon:
Communists had different reactions to the atrocities committed by Stalin. Many, like Buck condemned it and remained committed to Communism. Others, were so outraged that the left the party and had no more to do with Communism. Others were in denial and did not believe it. Still others acknowledge the crimes but consider Stalin, on balance a positive force. A few concluded that what Stalin did was necessary for Communism and the Soviet Union to develop.
This was the last letter she wrote from the White House after her husband was assassinated.
After WWII the United States provided food aid to much of Western Europe and offered it to some of the Eastern European Russian dominated countries as well. Russia would not allow them to accept American aid, but Tito of Yugoslavia was very independent and although his nation was socialist, he exported manufactured goods to the West and was happy to accept American aid. During the Cold War, Yugoslavia was doing business with America and other Western nations. A large proportion of all the school desks in America were manufactured in Yugoslavia much the distress of the Russians.
