Anatoly Dobrynin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Anatoly Dobrynin
Анатолий Добрынин |
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| Head of the International Department of the Central Committee | |
| In office 6 March 1986 – 30 September 1988 |
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| Preceded by | Boris Ponomarev |
| Succeeded by | Valentin Falin |
| Ambassador of the Soviet Union to the United States | |
| In office 4 January 1962 – 19 May 1986 |
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| Preceded by | Mikhail Menshikov |
| Succeeded by | Yuri Dubinin |
| Member of the 27th Secretariat | |
| In office 6 March 1986 – 30 September 1988 |
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| Full member of the 24th, 25th, 26th, 27th Central Committee | |
| In office 9 April 1971 – 14 July 1990 |
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| Candidate member of the 23rd Central Committee | |
| In office 8 April 1966 – 9 April 1971 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin
16 November 1919 Krasnaya Gorka, Mozhaysky Uyezd, Moscow Governorate, Russian SFSR |
| Died | 6 April 2010 (aged 90) Moscow, Russia |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Soviet Union (1946–1991) |
| Spouse | Irina Dobrynina |
| Alma mater | Diplomat |
| Profession | Civil servant, politician |
Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin (Russian: Анато́лий Фёдорович Добры́нин, born November 16, 1919 – died April 6, 2010) was an important person from the Soviet Union. He was a politician and a diplomat. A diplomat is someone who represents their country in other nations.
Dobrynin was the Soviet ambassador to the United States for a very long time. He held this important job for over 20 years, from 1962 to 1986.
He became well-known in America during the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was a very tense time when the US and the Soviet Union were close to war. At first, Dobrynin said there were no Soviet missiles in Cuba. But he later found out that the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, had already sent them. The Americans even had photos of the missiles.
From 1968 to 1974, Dobrynin worked closely with Henry Kissinger. Kissinger was a top US official. They had a direct way to talk and negotiate between the US government and the Soviet leaders. This helped them solve problems and avoid bigger conflicts.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Anatoly Dobrynin was born on November 16, 1919. His hometown was Krasnaya Gorka, a village near Mozhaisk in the Moscow Oblast. His father worked as a locksmith.
Dobrynin studied at the Moscow Aviation Institute. After finishing his studies, he worked for the Yakovlev Design Bureau. This company designed airplanes. In 1944, he joined the Higher Diplomatic School. He graduated with excellent marks.
Dobrynin's Diplomatic Career
Dobrynin started working for the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1946. He worked for several important foreign ministers. These included Vyacheslav Molotov and Andrei Gromyko.
In 1957, he became a deputy secretary general at the United Nations. He returned to Moscow in 1960. There, he led the foreign ministry's department for the United States and Canada.
Ambassador to the United States
Dobrynin was chosen as the Soviet Ambassador to the United States in 1962. He held this position until 1986. This was a very long time for an ambassador.
He worked with six different US presidents during his time in Washington. These presidents were John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan.
The Cold War was happening during these years. This made his job extremely important. He was a key link in the relationship between the Soviet Union and America. He often met with officials from the US State Department. He even had his own parking spot at the State Department building.
President Reagan once said he couldn't help but like Dobrynin as a person. This shows that even during tough times, diplomats can build personal connections.
Working with Henry Kissinger
Dobrynin had a very close working relationship with Henry Kissinger. Kissinger was the US National Security Advisor and later Secretary of State. They often met and had meals together, sometimes up to four times a week.
They had a direct phone line between their offices. They also exchanged gifts and shared jokes. They even met each other's families. This strong connection helped them communicate during difficult periods.
Return to Moscow
In 1971, Dobrynin was elected to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU). This was a very powerful group in the Soviet government.
After his long time as ambassador, he went back to Moscow in 1986. He joined the party's Secretariat. For two years, he led the international department of the CPSU Central Committee.
He retired from the Central Committee at the end of 1988. After that, he worked as an advisor to the Soviet president. He attended the Malta Summit in December 1989. This meeting is seen as the formal end of the Cold War. In 1992, he was given the special title of Russian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.
Books and Death
Anatoly Dobrynin wrote a book about his experiences. It was called In Confidence: Moscow's Ambassador to Six Cold War Presidents. The book was published in 1995.
Dobrynin passed away in Moscow on April 6, 2010.
Honours and Awards
Dobrynin received many awards for his work, including:
- Hero of Socialist Labour (a high honor in the Soviet Union)
- Five Orders of Lenin
- Order of the Red Banner of Labour
- Order of Honour (given in 2009 for his great work in Russian foreign policy)
- Honored Worker of the Diplomatic Service of the Russian Federation
- Honorary Doctor of the Diplomatic Academy of Russia
See Also
In Spanish: Anatoli Dobrynin para niños
