Arkady Shevchenko was a Soviet diplomat and advisor to Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrei Gromyko. In 1978 he defected to the United States. In the interview he describes Nikita Khrushchev and his views on the United States and nuclear weapons. He explains Khrushchevs reaction to the election of President Kennedy, and the subsequent evolution of his feelings towards the man throughout Kennedys presidency, including in reaction to the Bay of Pigs and the Vienna Summit. He explains the Soviet decision to put missiles in Cuba, as well as the effect the Cuban Missile Crisis had on Khrushchev and the Soviet Union. He discusses arms control both in the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis and in the future. He also comments on Khrushchevs status in the Soviet Union leadership and his relationship with the Politburo.
![Interview with Edward L. Rowny, 1986 [1]](https://bpldcassets.blob.core.windows.net/derivatives/metadata/commonwealth-oai:rx915n25b/image_thumbnail_300.jpg)
