Andrei Gromyko: biography

Andrei Gromyko - a name well known in the history of diplomacy of the USSR. Due to his slight and personal qualities, he was able to hold out as head of the Soviet Foreign Ministry for 28 years. Such a thing no one else could repeat. He was not in vain considered diplomat number 1. Although he had a miss in his career. About this man and will be discussed in the article.

Basic facts of biography

Andrey Gromyko was born on 05.07.1909 in the village of Starye Gromyki (the territory of modern Belarus). He was from a poor family, and already from the age of 13 began to make a living, helping his father. Formation of a future diplomat:

• A seven-year school;
• Vocational and technical school (Gomel);
• Staroborisovsky Agricultural Technical School;
• The 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.

For work in the department of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs Andrei Gromyko, whose biography is considered, came up according to two basic requirements. Namely - he had a peasant-proletarian origin and had a foreign language.

So began his career in diplomacy. Already in 1939 Andrei Andreevich was appointed adviser to the USSR representation 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, preparing for the three world conferences (Tehran, Potsdam, Yalta). The diplomat had a direct relation to the creation of the UN.

Participation in the UN

Soviet politician Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko was one of those who stood at the origins of the UN in the postwar period. It is his stroke that stands under the Charter of the international organization. He was a participant, and later a head of the USSR delegation to 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.

Work in the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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 process of negotiations on the arms race , including the reduction of nuclear tests.

Because of the tough style in the conduct of 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 his opponents much more often.

The diplomat experienced the greatest difficulties in the work of the Foreign Ministry under Khrushchev, who was not satisfied with the lack of flexibility in the conduct of negotiations with Andrei Andreyevich. The situation changed with the leadership of the country Brezhnev. 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 public affairs. He retired in 1988, but died less than a year later.

Participation in the Caribbean crisis

By 1962, the confrontation between the USSR and the United States reached its apogee. This period was called the Caribbean crisis. To some extent, the incident is connected with the position of the diplomat. Andrei Gromyko held talks on this issue with John F. Kennedy, but, not knowing the 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 in the deployment of the USSR of its missiles with an atomic charge on the territory of Cuba. The weapons were located off the US coast under the seal "top secret." Therefore, about the operation Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko, whose biography is considered, knew nothing.

After the United States provided images confirming that the Soviet Union had indeed used the territory of Cuba to create a military threat against the United States, it was decided to hold a "quarantine". This meant that all vessels at a certain distance from Cuba were subject to verification.

The Soviet Union decided to export missiles, and the threat of a nuclear war was lifted. The world lived in anticipation of the war for 38 days. Resolution of the Caribbean crisis led to a relaxation in the relationship between East and West. A new period in international relations has begun.

Interesting Facts

In honor of a politician like Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko, a street and a school in the town of Vetka (Belarus) were named. And in Gomel he has a bronze bust. By 2009, the 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 Andreyevich who nominated Mikhail Gorbachev for the highest office 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 perfectly, as evidenced by the reminiscences of the translator Viktor Sukhodrev;
• From 1958 to 1987 he was the editor-in-chief of the monthly "International Life".