UN and NYT quotes Re: Khrushchev's words and his shoe banging

[Hanya Krill]

Here are quotes from the UN records of the relevant paragraphs from the day
in question, October 12, 1960. The Russian is CP1251 using a Ukrainian
character set and a few letters were fudged, but I think you'll be able to
sort it out:

*******************
12th October, General Assembly Plenary Session
Ã-í ÕÐÓÙÅÂ
... Paragraph 157
À ïî÷åìó æå, êîãäà âèñòóïàåò ñåé÷àñ ºòîò õîëóé àìåðèêàíñüêîãî èìïåðèàë³çìà
è ãîâîðèò ñîâñåì íå ïî ïðîöåäóðíèì âîïðîñàì, Ïðåñåäàòåëü, êîòîðèé, âèäèìî,
ñèìïàòèçèðóåò êîëîíèàëüíîìó ãîñïîäñòâó, íå îñòàíàâëàåò åãî? Ðàçâå ºòî
ñïðàâåäëèâî? Íåò íå ñïðàâåäëèâî.

But why then, when this toady of American imperialism rises and speaks
about matters which are entirely non-procedural, does the Preseident, who
is evidently in sympathy with colonial domination, not stop him? Is that
fair? No, it is not fair.

... Paragraph 159
"Íå çàãëóøèòü âàì ãîëîñ íàðîäîâ, ãîëîñ ïðàâäè, êîòîðèé çâó÷èòü è áóäåò
çâó÷àòü. Êîíåö è ìîãèëà êîëîíèàëüíîìó ðàáñòâó! Äîëîé åãî! Íàäî ïîõîðîíèòü
åãî, è ÷åì ãëóáæå, òåì ëó÷øå."

"You will not be able to smother the voice of the peoples, the voice of
truth, which rings aloud and will go on ringing. Death and destruction to
colonial servitude! Away with it! We must bury it, and the deeper the better."
*******************

The New York Times (10/13/60) reported that there were 2 shoe incidents on
the same day,  the first taking place during the above outburst which
followed a statement by Phillipine delegate Mr. Sumulong and a second time
during a statement by Mr. Wilcox, the American delegate.

The second reaction came when Mr. Wilcox said this: (Paragraph 251) "...
then I must point out that the Soviet Union refers in both documents to
'...respect for the sovereign rights and territorial integrity of all
States without exception ...'". (Paragraph 252.) "Now, this is a statement
which raises very many interesting questions. Everyone here in the Assembly
is fully aware of the sad fact that there are a number of States in Eastern
Europe which do not have their complete independence."

In the UN record, only the Romanian delegate's "point of order" response to
Wilcox's comment is recorded, but as the NYT reported, the second Krushchev
shoe banging took place at this time.

Regarding the language, the NYT said this:
*******************
   "Representatives of the Soviet press agency Tass said the translated
word 'lackey' came from Mr. Khrushchev's use of the word 'stavlenik' --
pronounced 'stahlevneek.'
   "The word 'jerk' is a translation of the Russian word 'kholvi' --
pronounced kholovie, with 'kh' as in Khrushchev -- used by the Soviet
Minister."
*******************

As Donna Seifer wrote (below) the NYT photo shows a light colored shoe
resting on the desk in front of Krushchev. Whether you wish to call it a
tiuflia, sandal, summer shoe, or air-conditioned footwear is up to you.

The story told by the Soviet scholar who claims to have seen a photograph
of the event showing that Krushchev had both his shoes on his feet, is not
a likely one. It would have been virtually impossible to capture the feet
in a photo in the General Assembly from the vantage point of the press box,
especially as Krushchev was situated behind the USSR desk.

That the Russian delegation bought new shoes in New York is certainly
credible, but having them "on hand" as if to suggest that they were in a
bag next to his chair, or something like that, and available to bang on the
desk is also unlikely. For one thing, Krushchev had been in New York for
the 15th GA session for several weeks already prior to the show-banging
episode. If he had purchased sandals in NYC it is more likely that they
were purchased in September when the weather was even warmer. For another,
there is a certain degree of decorum maintained during the plenary sessions
(excepting, of course, the frequent heckling and shoe-banging episodes),
and one doesn't usually walk into the GA with shopping bags.

Furthermore, although I'm no fashion history guru, the style of the shoe
does not appear to be typical of an American summer shoe. To me it looks
very European in style, and may just as well have been brought from home or
possibly obtained elsewhere. On the other hand, imported shoes were not
uncommon in NY at the time and there is no reason to doubt the story.
Exactly where the shoes were actually procured is a less important aspect
of the story, but if a sales clerk could be found to tell the story of how
Krushchev selected this particular shoe, it would certainly make for a fun
supplement in a weekend paper.

The Columbia World of Quotations (1996) has this Khrushchev quote online
(http://www.bartleby.com/66/52/32552.html):
"Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury you.
ATTRIBUTION: Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971), Soviet premier. remark, Nov.
18, 1956, to Western diplomats, Kremlin, Moscow. quoted in Times (London,
Nov. 19, 1956).

I seem to recall a quote that included burying our grandchildren too, but
can't place it right now.

If anyone knows of other newspapers/magazines that wrote about the
Khrushchev episodes at the UN, I'd be interested in obtaining the references.

- Hanya Krill
hanya at brama.com


---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 2 May 2003 12:14:41 -0700
From: Donna Seifer <dseifer at ATTBI.COM>
Reply-To: Slavic & East European Languages and Literature list

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Use your web browser to search the archives, control your subscription
  options, and more.  Visit and bookmark the SEELANGS Web Interface at:
                  http://home.attbi.com/~lists/seelangs/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------