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Significant Milestone

Major steps in relations with the USSR, especially those requiring U.S. Congressional approval, were approached cautiously by the American side. Certain issues (for example, the Non-Aggression Pact) were diplomatically proposed by the Americans for discussion at a later time, while others were suggested to be formalized not through the U.S. Congress but via resolutions of the UN General Assembly. It was in this manner that the U.S. President proposed to establish a treaty banning the placement of nuclear weapons in outer space.

At the same time, meetings and conversations with Gromyko demonstrated that American leaders wished to continue fostering and developing a trusting dialogue with Soviet leaders on issues related to preventing a potential nuclear war, as well as across the entire spectrum of bilateral relations. This was reflected in an analytical note by the Soviet Ambassador in Washington, A.F. Dobrynin, sent to Moscow literally a month before Kennedy’s assassination. The note emphasized that USSR-USA relations were entering a “new period.” The ambassador believed that in building these relations, it was necessary to consider the complex domestic situation in the United States, “the influence of extremely reactionary forces intensifying here,” and the danger of international complications related to “the threat of U.S. interference in the internal affairs of other countries.” It was noted that “in the matter of improving American-Soviet relations and resolving contentious international issues, there is no need to rush. [...] In this direction, we must proceed step by step, carefully considering and timing the steps to be taken, while also striving, whenever possible, to give the agreements reached a form that would not require ratification of such agreements by the U.S. Senate”¹⁰.

In turn, the Soviet leader was impressed that he had managed to establish informal, personal contacts with the American president. In conversations with Khrushchev’s son, he mentioned that he needed another six years to establish normal relations with the United States. However, this forced optimism in the course of events was interrupted on November 22, 1963, by the gunshots in Dallas.

The first to learn of the assassination attempt on Kennedy was Dobrynin. In his memoirs, he recounted that he heard about the events in Dallas on the radio while at the dentist’s office¹². Postponing the procedure, Dobrynin immediately returned to the Soviet Embassy and contacted Moscow from there. Given the time difference, the oral message from the ambassador to the USSR Foreign Ministry...

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Footnotes:

¹⁰ See Document No. 9.