Sergei Khrushchev

Sergei Khrushchev

NPS Photograph

Quick Facts

Significance:

Sergei Khrushchev is a retired engineer and the son of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. From 1958 to 1968, Dr. Khrushchev worked as an engineer, then later as a deputy section head in charge of guidance systems for missile and space design. In this capacity, he worked on cruise missiles for submarine craft, military and research spacecraft, moon vehicles, and the "Proton" space booster.

Place of Birth:

Moscow, Russia

Date of Birth:

July 2, 1935

Place of Death:

Cranston, Rhode Island

Date of Death:

June 18, 2020

Sergei Khrushchev was an engineer and the son of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. He became an American citizen in 1999. Prior to emigrating from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1991, Khrushchev worked in various high-level engineering positions. From 1968 to 1991, he served at the Control Computer Institute in Moscow, where he rose from section head to first deputy director in charge of research. From the years 1958 to 1968, Dr. Khrushchev worked as an engineer, then later as a deputy section head in charge of guidance systems for missile and space design. In this capacity, he worked on cruise missiles for submarine craft, military and research spacecraft, moon vehicles, and the "Proton" space booster.

Dr. Khrushchev was interviewed in 2015 for the park's film project. Selected excerpts from that interview are below:

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Can you speak to the Russian perspective on the origins of the Cold War?

When we talk about the Cold War, we must look on the evilness of American politicians or Soviet politicians. It is part of the nature. Because the nature, it was you competing for the domination of the world, it was 19th century policy, and the 20th century policy. It was the Great Britain and France, we, Austrian, Hungarian Empire, and Germany in the first world war, in the second world the same Great Britain, France, against the Germany and Japan and Americans and the Russians. Soviets participated in this fighting in very important roles but they are not the first who started all these things. But after the Second World War, it appeared that all these previous arrivals were, took us aside. Germans and Japan were defeated, the Great Britain and France became too weak and then emerged two other powers, the United States and the Soviet Union. They behave the same way. They try to find out how they will share this world. What will be, who will dominate. It was beginning of the domination because Americans thought we have nuclear weapons so let's count when we start the war how many Soviet cities we will destroy. If you look at the history of the 40s it was there. Endless discussion in the congress when we’ll start the war, how many cities we will destroy depend how many nuclear warheads United States had at the time, the nuclear bombs. Which was of course was start of the Soviet Union to build their own nuclear program. And it was the beginning of this confrontation, but as the political leader gradually understood the nature of nuclear weapons are different. It's not just simply more powerful weapon that you can use; it is weapon that make the war more defective. That you will lose more than you will gain. So though this it was beginning of the same behavior like it was during the real war but without the war. And we have this name of the Cold War. And then you can blame Stalin, you can blame Khrushchev, you can blame Churchill. But it is just detail because it was logic behind this.

 

Do you remember the launching of Sputnik and what it's effect was?

Of course, I remember the launching of Sputnik. Sputnik is the part of the human development and discovery of the new worlds. It was not so much driving by the governments, you know, the Eisenhower administration was not interested in launching the first satellite. Khrushchev administration was not interested in the launching of Sputnik. It was the few people and one of them was named Mikhail Tikhonravov who was one of the first rocket scientists from certis and then he avoid arrest and he worked with the military. And when became the chief designer of the ballistic missiles. Tikhonravov came to him, in the time he worked in the military research institute and told Serge, they were friends, “I have the idea. First of all I know how to launch the Sputnik,” or RCBM, because they thought, yes, we can launch the ballistic missile the same as Wernher von Braun did, but was not enough to have on stage. So, you have to ignite second stage somewhere where there will be no gravity which started it or not with a question mark. And he told Tikhonravov “Serge, we will make this not two stage, we have one and a half stage. We will have this missile with the full pieces that will then separated and the last will go up to the space. And I am interested. I am Tikhonravov in launching the Sputnik. But you can offer the government that you can build the RCBM in this way. And through this it's 1954. It was signed the decree to build the first RCBM R7. But when it was on the last stages of the designing, they pushed the idea that on the international geophysical year we can launch the satellite. And Soviets signed some decree you can do it.
 

How do you think Sputnik affected the United States?

We look on this that America is superior power; they have many capabilities to attack Soviet Union. Soviet Union surrounded by the air bases, and they have access to us, and we need to have the same access to the United States. We didn’t think that it will create any panic in the United States. United States different from Europeans, they never had enemies at the gates. It was the important changes of the policy in United States where they increased investment and they researched development on the satellites, and put a lot of money. I think, only Korolev, and Tikhonravov, and my father did a very good thing to the Americans, still keep their superiority in the world, and the technology.
 

How did the Soviet people view the missile program?

Soviet people look at the missile program as very important. First of all, we were proud that we can do it and we ahead of Americans. Secondary, we were attacked by the Germans in June 1941 and, now, Germans were replaced by the Americans were are not so scared that they will start the war. We have this feeling it will be, maybe, one more invasion but sooner or later we would take over but we want to have retaliation capability to contain Americans. It was important to our security to have this capability to retaliate. Even there was no missile gap, Americans were all the time ahead of the Soviet Union in the technology, and the quality, and the quantity of missiles.
My father told to President Kennedy who told, “We can destroy you many time,” because Americans have many time more missiles that we are. Soviet Union have, at that time, only I think 6 missiles and my father told them, “Not so cannibalistic as you. For me, it was enough to destroy you once and that mean that we have the
balance of power.” The Kennedy agreed with this because, at that time, the mentality of the politicians were different. Not like now, “We’ll beat missile defense so we have the superiority we can deal losses but we’ll destroy you.” No, the presidents of the United States, the same as my father, counted how many life you ready to sacrifice for the victory?
You have 6, 3-megaton warheads it will be about 10 or 20,000,000 people and President Kennedy go, “No.” It’s a balance. I don’t need to kill 20 Americans to take over you. I have to use diplomacy.
 

Can you speak to your father's role and experience in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

In 1962 I was an engineer and I work for the Missile Design Bureau, which produced missiles for the Soviet Navy. At that time, we were much ahead of this American technology. We were very proud that Americans cannot catch us up and we beginning to work also on the ballistic missiles. It was the policy that we want to be recognized as equal. It was policy in the Middle East, and the Far East, it was the Berlin Crisis. Then in 1959 it was emerged the new country, Cuba. These freedom fighters took over the Havana and we knew nothing about Cuba. Most of our knowledge even on the governmental level from the Treasure Island from the Stevenson novel, some pirates, parrots, treasure somewhere in the sand.

Soviet Union had the embassy in Cuba but it was locked because no interest, why you waste the money? The Soviets looked for the Fidel Castro, it was one more pro American central, American politicians and, maybe, agent of CIA. Then in April 1959 Castro visited Washington, DC, and he was denied of any support and he was just kicked out by the vice president, Nixon. The Soviet Union saw it on intel just this guy that, “No they, maybe, not so much pro Americans.” It was the rule of the Cold War if you have enemy of your enemy you have to help them.
Staying aside they became very popular in the Soviet Union especially among the Soviet youths because young bearded people who defeated this pro American Batista regime. It was like heroes, like the Goliath who defeated [inaudible]. We have to support them.

Americans put strong pressure on this and I remember when I asked my father, “Why will not invite Cuba in The Warsaw Pact?” He told, “Sonny, it’s the politics. They’re far away from us, if Americans will attack them we have nothing to do only start nuclear war and we don’t need sacrifice our people for Cubans. Secondly, we don’t know who is Fidel. Maybe, we will start the war and he will shake hands with American generals. Maybe, he is still the CIA agent, who knows?”

At Bay of Pigs everything changed because in the middle of the crisis Fidel Castro declared, “I am openly join the Soviet Bloc.” Now he put everything upside down including Soviet policy because if you’re a member of our Bloc we’re the super power or great power have to defend all our allies, as American defend all their allies, even risking the nuclear war. Cuba became for the Soviet Union the same as the West Berlin for the United States, small, useless, best part of land deep inside hostile territory but you will not defend them, you will lose your face. Americans threatened Soviet Union with the possible nuclear war and many other things that we know the crisis around the Berlin, just declining all the proposals. My father thought what we can do with Cuba? Americans is going forward and forward, they will not stop on the first invasion. There will be another invasion with much stronger forces.

He told me, “I cannot defend Cuba in the United Nations. Americans will not listen to me. I cannot defend them with conventional forces even if I send there 100,000 troops because American control communication. It have to be strong signal, not invade Cuba, we are serious.” He told, it was even adventuristic], but, “Let’s send there nuclear weapons, the missiles.”
That showed Americans. As we know in the beginning of 1953 the John Foster Douglas, the Secretary of State, proclaimed politics on the brink of the war so it was the policy on the brink of the war, you have balance on the brink of the war. You cannot step back because opposite side will step forward. What really happened after Gorbachev stepped back on the Europe and now the native enlarge it and go forward. My father told, “We have to understand this and we have to understand where this brink of the war, but we stand there firmly.”

He send these missiles and the political signal but as the Americans was all the time protected by 2 oceans, they never had enemies at the gate. This created panic on the American territory. American public was panicking, “If these missiles will be ready, they will launch them and they will kill us. We are now mortal, we have to do something, take them out.” What the psychological crisis was much more difficult to manage than any other crisis because you’re not thinking, why Soviets will launch missiles from Cuba, not launch them from Siberia 20 minutes difference in the delivery. No. For the [inaudible] public missiles in Siberia and some are in nowhere, like for the Soviet missiles in Dakota. “Here it is just near our borders, 90 miles from our shores.” This created the strong pressure on the president and on the Khrushchev to negotiate.

Of course, we are lucky that they were strong leaders and the balanced leaders not for show then think but first think, then negotiate, and find the resolution of this crisis for the mutual interest this was like bargaining. The difference was, with the Soviet Union, that if it was crisis around Berlin and it will spark the war, that was possible the same like in the Cuba. The Soviets, Russians, and the Europeans will kill each other in the nuclear war but the Americans thought, “We will watch them on TV,” like it was in Second World War. It was no panic in the Soviet Union. We thought it’s dangerous, that Americans are armed and very dangerous, but it was the crisis it was before. We believed that our government will do everything to avoid the war so nobody wanted to hide in the shelter especially as we knew that sometimes it was not a shelter it is your grave, if the house will collapsed.

There was no plans to go out of the cities, not on the government, not anywhere. I knew all these things but I went to my work as usual and I had to fulfill my duties and it was not duties on the manage the crisis. Even that I knew some funny things about Cuban Missile Crisis from my friends in the navy that I share with my father when we walk together in the evening and I live within some residence. It was very different understanding of this but, of course, it was clear evidence that because Americans so crazy around this they became very dangerous.
 

Do you think your father accomplished his goal in the Cuban Missile Crisis?

It was very primitive American understanding playing this childish game, who will blink first? It was the same as the Russian roulette, boom or not? No. It was the politics and politics much more complicated. My father never thought that he blinked. He have what he wanted. He send missiles to prevent American invasion in Cuba, Americans never invaded Cuba. He trusted the word of the American president, understanding that he had some huge pressure. Americans had what they wanted, to take these primitive missiles out of Cuba that we will be anyway taking out with the development of the Soviet ICBM program. It was mutual satisfaction but also because it was the policy of crisis. During the Cuban Missile Crisis American de facto recognized Soviet Union as equal.

Of course, my father achieved what he wanted. Now, Americans just take us as equal and we look at the policy of the post Cuban Missile Crisis it was very different relations. It was no policy of crisis because it became too dangerous. It was the Vietnam War, no world crisis. It was the Afghan War, no world crisis. It was just turning point. Before recognition, that we can destroy you. After recognition, no we cannot destroy you. We have to understand that we have negotiate.