Georgi Bolshakov
Encyclopedia
Georgi Bolshakov was a Soviet journalist, embassy officer, and spy who was posted to Washington, DC on multiple occasions, most significantly in the early 1960s. In this capacity, he played a major role in US and Soviet diplomacy during the beginning of the John F. Kennedy administration. President Kennedy’s brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy
, secretly met with Bolshakov on numerous occasions in 1961 in order to gain more information about Soviet intentions and convey messages from the administration to the top Soviet leadership, including Premier Nikita Khrushchev
.
Bolshakov was thus a vitally important backchannel contact between the US and Soviet governments. The Kennedy administration utilized him to set up the Vienna Summit
in June 1961 and, even more importantly, to defuse and resolve the Berlin Crisis
in October of that year. Historians have implied that the Soviets benefited more from this exchange, as Bolshakov was not told the full scope and intentions of the Soviet leadership while the US transmitted its worries and concerns more completely and transparently.
A more precise evaluation of the level and impact of Bolshakov’s role in US-Soviet diplomacy awaits further release of archival records.
Robert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, secretly met with Bolshakov on numerous occasions in 1961 in order to gain more information about Soviet intentions and convey messages from the administration to the top Soviet leadership, including Premier Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
.
Bolshakov was thus a vitally important backchannel contact between the US and Soviet governments. The Kennedy administration utilized him to set up the Vienna Summit
Vienna summit
The Vienna summit was a summit meeting held on June 4, 1961 in Vienna, Austria between President John F. Kennedy of the United States and Premier Nikita Khrushchev of the Soviet Union. The leaders of the two superpowers of the Cold War era discussed numerous issues in the relationship between their...
in June 1961 and, even more importantly, to defuse and resolve the Berlin Crisis
Berlin Crisis
Berlin Crisis may refer to*the Berlin Blockade of 1948-1949*the Berlin Crisis of 1961*the Australian alternative band, see Berlin Crisis...
in October of that year. Historians have implied that the Soviets benefited more from this exchange, as Bolshakov was not told the full scope and intentions of the Soviet leadership while the US transmitted its worries and concerns more completely and transparently.
A more precise evaluation of the level and impact of Bolshakov’s role in US-Soviet diplomacy awaits further release of archival records.