Valerian Aleksandrovich Zorin (russian: Валериан Александрович Зорин; 14 January 1902 – 14 January 1986) was a

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

diplomat A diplomat (from grc, δίπλωμα; romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state or an intergovernmental institution such as the United Nations or the European Union to conduct diplomacy with one or more other states or interna ...

best remembered for his famous confrontation with Adlai Stevenson on 25 October 1962, during the

Cuban Missile Crisis The Cuban Missile Crisis, also known as the October Crisis (of 1962) ( es, Crisis de Octubre) in Cuba, the Caribbean Crisis () in Russia, or the Missile Scare, was a 35-day (16 October – 20 November 1962) confrontation between the United S ...

Life and career

Zorin was born in

Novocherkassk Novocherkassk (russian: Новочерка́сск, lit. ''New Cherkassk'') is a city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located near the confluence of the Tuzlov and Aksay Rivers, the latter a distributary of the Don River. Novocherkassk is best known as ...

. After joining the

Communist Party of the Soviet Union " Hymn of the Bolshevik Party" , headquarters = 4 Staraya Square, Moscow , general_secretary = Vladimir Lenin (first) Mikhail Gorbachev (last) , founded = , banned = , founder = Vladimir Lenin , newspape ...

in 1922, Zorin held a managerial position in a

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

city committee and the Central Committee of the

Komsomol The All-Union Leninist Young Communist League (russian: link=no, Всесоюзный ленинский коммунистический союз молодёжи (ВЛКСМ), ), usually known as Komsomol (; russian: Комсомол, links=n ...

until 1932. In 1935, he graduated from the Communist Institute of Education (Высший коммунистический институт просвещения). In 1935 to 1941, Zorin worked on numerous Party assignments and as a teacher. In 1941 to 1944, he was employed at the

People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs The People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs (NKID or the People's Commissariat of Foreign Affairs) was the state body of the People's Commissariat for Foreign Affairs of the USSR and the Soviet Union responsible for conducting the foreign policy of ...

. In 1945 to 1947, Zorin was the

ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...

Czechoslovakia , rue, Чеськословеньско, , yi, טשעכאסלאוואקיי, , common_name = Czechoslovakia , life_span = 1918–19391945–1992 , p1 = Austria-Hungary , image_p1 ...

. In 1948, he helped to organise the Czechoslovak coup d'état. In 1947 to 1955 and again in 1956 to 1965, he was Deputy

Minister of Foreign Affairs A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between co ...

of the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nationa ...

. At the same time, he held other positions, including that of the permanent Soviet representative at the

UN Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

in 1952 to 1953. In 1955 to 1956, Zorin was the first Soviet ambassador to the

Federal Republic of Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated between ...

. In 1956 to 1965, he again represented the Soviet Union at the UN Security Council, which led to his famous confrontation with Adlai Stevenson on 25 October 1962, during the

. Following the

assassination of John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle with ...

in 1963, Zorin released a controversial statement on the potential causes of the president's murder that dismissed beliefs that Kennedy had been killed by a leftist fanatic,

Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald (October 18, 1939 – November 24, 1963) was a U.S. Marine veteran who assassinated John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, on November 22, 1963. Oswald was placed in juvenile detention at the age of 12 fo ...

, and instead speculated that it might have been a result of Kennedy's progressive views concerning civil rights and the "scum" of the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

. In 1965 to 1971, Zorin served as the Soviet ambassador to

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. In 1971, he became an ambassador on special missions at the

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union The Ministry of External Relations (MER) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) (russian: Министерство иностранных дел СССР) was founded on 6 July 1923. It had three names during its existence: People's Co ...

. At the 22nd and 23rd Congress of the CPSU in 1961 and 1966, Zorin was elected to the

Central Committee of the CPSU The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, – TsK KPSS was the executive leadership of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, acting between sessions of Congress. According to party statutes, the committee directe ...

In popular culture

*In the 1974 television play '' The Missiles of October'', Zorin is portrayed by

Will Kuluva Will Kuluva (May 2, 1917 – November 6, 1990) was an American actor. He appeared in the films '' Abandoned'', '' Viva Zapata!'', '' Operation Manhunt'', '' The Shrike'', '' Crime in the Streets'', ''Odds Against Tomorrow'', ''Go Naked in the Wor ...

. *In the 2000 film '' Thirteen Days'', he is portrayed by

Oleg Vidov Oleg Borisovich Vidov (russian: Олег Борисович Видов; June 11, 1943 – May 15, 2017) was a Soviet Russian American actor, film director and producer. He appeared in 50 films beginning in 1961. A refugee from his native Sovie ...

. *In the 2013 television series, "Czech Century" (''České století''), he is portrayed by the opera singer Vladimír Koval.

References

1902 births 1986 deaths People from Novocherkassk Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to Czechoslovakia Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to France Ambassadors of the Soviet Union to West Germany Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union members Permanent Representatives of the Soviet Union to the United Nations {{USSR-bio-stub Recipients of the Order of Friendship of Peoples Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner of Labour Burials at Novodevichy Cemetery