115. Letter From Chairman Khrushchev to President Kennedy 0

Dear Mr. President: Availing myself of the return of our Ambassador A. Dobrynin to Washington I would like to express some of my thoughts in connection with the state of things shaping up now after the Treaty on banning nuclear weapon tests has been signed in Moscow.

I think both of our Governments feel satisfaction with the signing of the Treaty. And this is quite understandable since the Treaty is such a matter which brings no losses to either of the sides; on the contrary, from such an agreement equally win both our countries and other countries of the world, all the mankind.

A clear demonstration of the support of this good beginning is in particular also the fact that immediately after the signing of the Treaty by representatives of the USA, the USSR and Britain many other countries not only declared of their readiness to join that Treaty but have already put their signatures under it. Literally from all corners of the globe the Soviet Government is getting now a flood of letters, messages, congratulations. The White House mail is evidently no less busy. This is one more proof that the wide public of the whole world has received not a small satisfaction and welcomes the agreement of the three Governments which not only cleans the atmosphere of the globe of the poisonous fallout but in a certain sense purifies the international political atmosphere as well. All this strengthens the hopes of the peoples for a further relaxation of tension, gives a prospect of solution of other unsettled questions.

So far as I can judge by your statements, Mr. President, as well as by what your Secretary of State Mr.Rusk said here,1 you share our conviction that it is important now not to stop at what has been achieved but to make further steps from the good start taken by us. Of course the way ahead of us is not an easy one. However we must follow it stubbornly and persistently—let this be without hurry but there should be no slowing down the pace—consistently striving to solve the ripe international problems which again would correspond to the interests of not only our two countries but also of the whole world.

There is hardly need to mention here all these problems once again. We have more than once listed them. I mentioned them in my last conversation with Mr.Rusk too. I would only like to emphasize that these problems [Page 305] are awaiting their solution. And they should rather be solved without, as it is said, being shelved, they should rather be solved now when a more calm and consequently more favourable atmosphere has been created then under other circumstances which may always arise since serious unsolved problems still remain.

Mr.Rusk has certainly had time to inform you about his stay in the Soviet Union and about our talks with him. We consider the Secretary of State’s visit to us to be useful. In a short period of time Mr.Rusk in addition to Moscow had a chance to visit Leningrad—the city of great historic traditions, and also to visit the Black Sea shore. As I understood him, he was satisfied with his trip. I was told that the Senators who attended the signing of the Treaty were also satisfied with the trip. I do not know to what extent this may facilitate the process of the ratification of the Treaty by the U.S. Senate but the fact that they visited us and, among other things, had meetings with our deputies to the USSR Supreme Soviet is in our opinion a positive factor. We have always believed that such contracts promote better understanding.

During the talks with the Secretary of State we were able to exchange opinion on a certain number of questions including the questions of bilateral Soviet-American relations. Naturally, an improvement of the relations between our countries would have a beneficial effect and make it easier to look for solutions of the main international problems which divide us now.

Mr.Rusk expressed the wish that after his report to you, Mr. President, an exchange of opinion on all such questions should be continued. We agree with this and, moreover, we consider the continuation of the exchange of opinion to be necessary.

My wife Nina Petrovna, myself and all our family send you, your wife and your family our regards and best wishes.

Accept, Mr. President, our sincere sympathy on the loss that has befallen you—the death of your newly-born son.

Sincerely yours,

N. Khrushchev
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  1. Source: Department of State, Presidential Correspondence: Lot 66 D 204. No classification marking. The source text indicates it is an unofficial translation from Russian. Another copy is in the Kennedy Library, National Security Files, Countries Series, USSR, Khrushchev Correspondence.
  2. For documentation on Rusk’s visit to the Soviet Union, see volume V.
  3. Printed from a copy that bears this typed signature.