To what extent was the deterioration in Sino-Soviet relations during Khrushchev's reign due to

Khrushchev's handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis?

Stephanie Bautista
Rockville HS
(003245)
IB History HL
ID-code 003245-0120
Word count: 2,199

Section 1: Identification and Evaluation of Sources

 Bautista/ 1

This investigation will explore the question: To what extent was the deterioration in Sino-

Soviet relations during Khrushchev's reign due to Khrushchev's handling of the Cuban Missile

Crisis? The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred from October 14th to 28th, 1962, involving the United

States, The Soviet Union, and Cuba. The Soviet Union during this time had an alliance with

China making the crisis affect them in some ways, this would impact the Sino-Soviet alliance.

The first source examined is Memorandum of Conversation Between the Delegates From

the Society For Soviet-Chinese Friendship (OKSD), Li Xigeng and Li Zhanwu, With the Societys

General Secretariat published on February 1, 1963. The origin is valuable as it gives insight to

the Chinese governments opinions toward the Soviet Union a month after the crisis. The

purpose was to keep documented the tense conversation of Chinese and Soviet delegates about

the Soviets mishandling in the crisis, helping show where the Sino-Soviet alliance began to

falter. The memorandum contained the delegates conversation, both nations were tense as the

Chinese felt that the Soviets actions were miscalculated and acting unlike communists as you

[Khrushchev] adorn American imperialism.1 This helped show the start of the Sino-Soviet split

and Chinas position on Khrushchev's handling of the crisis.

The memorandum has limitations as it shows the opinions of only the OKSD delegates Li

Xigeng and Li Zhanwu. Their opinions may not fully cover Mao Zedong or the governments

official position on the crisis during 1963 as it was still a recent event. The purpose of the source

was limited as it was about Soviet handling of the crisis, yet it mentioned the ideological

differences between China and the Soviet Union, possibly altering the delegates view of the

crisis. Lastly, the sources content is limited as it only took into account what the Chinese

1
Memorandum of Conversation between the Delegates from the Society for Soviet-Chinese Friendship
(OKSD), Li Xigeng and Li Zhanwu, with the Societys General Secretariat, 18 November 1962. Accessed
November 18, 2016.Wilson Center Digital Archive.
http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/116832.
 Bautista/ 2

government was told about the crisis from other nations, the Soviet Union still kept the reasons

behind their actions a secret from the Chinese so this could have altered the Chinese delegates

opinion.

The second source examined is an open letter from the Chinese Communist Party, The

Leaders of the CPSU are the Greates Splitters of Our Time released on February 4, 1964, which

valuably demonstrates the Chinese government unwavering perspective towards Khrushchevs

handling of the crisis and their willingness to publicize their harsh opinions. The purpose was to

make a public statement about how the Soviet Communist Party was faulty, Mao began to allow

anti-Soviet works to be released publicly showing the start of the Sino-Soviet split. The letter

openly stated that they believed that the Soviet party were being splitters trying to completely

destroy the Sino-Soviet Alliance.2 The open letter contained harsh opinions from Chinese party

members in regards to the Soviet betrayal towards China and the mistakes Khruschev made,

which helped show Chinese opinion to Khrushchevs actions and the sudden US-Soviet alliance.

Limitations were seen in the letter published by the Chinese Communist Party, it could

have contained altered information to influence the public to prevent any protest against the

alliances split. Another limitation is that the letter focused on why in general the Soviet Party

was dishonorable, so it did not only take into consideration the crisis this investigation focuses

on. Lastly, a limitation with the content is that it described multiple reasons why the Soviet party

was wicked, like past mistakes, and Marxist-Leninist ideology which alters the Chinese opinion.

Also, the letter focused in general why the Soviet Party was inferior to the Chinese Communist

Party.

2
Chinese Communist Party, The Leaders of the CPSU are the Greates Splitters of Our Times, February
4, 1964. Forham University Modern History Sourcebook, Accessed November 14, 2016.
http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1964CCP-onCPSU.asp.
 Bautista/ 3

Section 2: Investigation

The Sino-Soviet alliance involved two parties, Communist Chinas leader Mao Zedong

and the Soviet Unions first Secretary, Nikita Khrushchev, they would work together and form

the alliance in 1960. Two powerful communist nations would be viewed as threatening to other

nations. Eventually, by 1989 both nations would lose trust in each other causing the alliance to

end, making the Cuban Missile Crisis play a big factor in the Sino-Soviet split.3 To a profound

extent the deterioration in Sino-Soviet relations during Nikita Khrushchevs reign, was due to his

mishandling of the Cuban Crisis. Sino-Soviet relations began in 1949 between Stalin and Mao

Zedong when they signed a Treaty of Friendship and Military Cooperation, this would align two

powerful Communist nations which worried the United States.4 The Cuban Missile Crisis

occurred from October 14th to 28th, 1962, during the Cold War involving the United States,

Cuba, and the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union placed a great deal of missiles in Cuba on Soviet

bases; about 5,000 Russians workers, 20 Russian IL-28 jet light bombers stationed, and their red

intermediate missiles which were said to have the range of about 2,5000 miles enough to hit

various cities in the US.5 Khrushchev would greatly mishandled the crisis due to his cooperation

with the United States which would lead to a US-Soviet alliance causing the violation of the

Treaty of Friendship. Also, Khrushchevs actions were made to enhance his political prestige

which caused him to make mistakes.6 Lastly, Khrushchev began to form a different ideology

3
Josepha Sherman, "Democratic or Anti-Communist," in The Cold War (Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2004),
38, Accessed November 8, 2016,
https://www.questiaschool.com/library/120074866/the-cold-war.
4
Sherman, "Democratic or Anti-Communist," in The Cold War, 37.
5
Laurence Burd, "The US Offers the Soviet Union an Opportunity to Negotiate," in The Cuban Missile
Crisis, ed. Myra Immell (Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2010), 48, previously published as
"Kennedy Offers to Negotiate If Reds Abandon Missile Sites," Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, IL),
October 28, 1962, 1-2.
6
William J. Medland, "The Cuban Missile Crisis: Evolving Historical Perspectives," The History Teacher
23, no. 4 (August 1990): 434, Accessed November 13, 2016, http://www.jstor.org/stable/494397.
 Bautista/ 4

compared to Chinas which would worsen Sino-Soviet relations as China felt like Khrushchev

was no longer being a true communist.7

Khrushchevs military cooperation with the US, which eventually led to better US-Soviet

relations during the Cuban Missile Crisis, tremendously deteriorated Sino-Soviet relations. The

United States government skillfully used the Cuban Missile Crisis and Khrushchevs weakness

to further split the Sino-Soviet alliance as they have viewed it as a threat by having both nations

lose trust in each other.8 The Soviet Union placed their missiles in Cuba to fix their Sino-Soviet

problems as well, but eventually the missiles led to a detente and tensions between the US and

the Soviet Union decreased.9 Throughout the missile crisis both US President John F. Kennedy

and the Soviet Union Secretary Khrushchev exchanged letters to attempt to fix their

disagreements, both leaders kept a cordial tone which made it appear that they were bettering

their relations.10 Both leaders began to use an amiable tone as a precaution, if both leaders spoke

in a peaceful manner than the likelihood of tension would decrease. Also, Historian Paul Du

Quenoy states that Khrushchev made the decision to keep his deal with the US a secret from

China , Khrushchev and Kennedy agreed that if the Soviet missiles were removed then the US

would remove their Jupiter missiles from Turkey.11 Khrushchev mistakenly did not tell China the

benefits they would have if the missiles were removed, consequently to the Chinese it seemed

like Khrushchev turned their back on China.12 Eventually through cooperation between the US

and the Soviet Union on July of 1963, the US, Soviet Union, and Great Britain- who was

7
Ted Gottfried, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union (Brookfield, CT: 21st Century Books, 2003), 78.
8
Burd, "The US Offers the Soviet Union an Opportunity to Negotiate," in The Cuban Missile Crisis, 47.
9
Roger Hilsman, The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Struggle over Policy (Westport, CT: Praeger, 1996), 150,
Accessed November 17, 2016, https://www.questiaschool.com/library/1902065/the-cuban-missile-crisis-
the-struggle-over-policy.
10
Burd, "The US Offers," in The Cuban Missile Crisis, 46-47.
11
Paul Du Quenoy, "The Role of Foreign Affairs in the Fall of Nikita Khrushchev in October 1964," The
International History Review 25, no. 2 (June 2003): 346, Accessed November 11, 2016,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/40109322.
12
Quenoy, "The Role of Foreign Affairs in the Fall of Nikita Khrushchev in October 1964," 346.
 Bautista/ 5

involved with the Cold War- signed the nuclear test ban treaty which meant that the nations

would stop nuclear weapon testing to protect the environment.13 Kennedy and Khrushchev later

set up a telephone hotline to improve communication and relations.14 China viewed Kennedy and

Khrushchevs improvement in relations as threatening and felt as though Khrushchev was

violating their Treaty of Friendship. The Chinese viewed the US-Soviet peace attempts as a

betrayal from their ally and felt like both nations were trying to isolate Communist China.15

Khrushchev's actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis in attempts to better relations with the US

caused China to distance themselves more from the Soviet Union, and would eventually lead to

the Sino-Soviet Split of 1989.

Throughout the Cuban Missile Crisis, Khrushchevs actions were based on his wants to

enhance his own political prestige by fixing his past mistakes. Khrushchevs mistakes in making

accurate decisions made him look weak to world leaders, but his foolish actions in the missile

crisis made the Chinese further disapprove of Khrushchev. The Chinese used Khrushchevs

desire for political stature to their advantage, Mao wanted to distance himself from the Soviet

Union, so he began to attack Khrushchev by any means.16 Mao utilized the Missile Crisis for

propaganda by making Khrushchevs decision to ally with the US as inhumane since it now left

small Cuba to fight alone against a world power, then Mao also began to allow the publishing

of a series of polemics against Khrushchev which showed their public disapproval of

Khrushchevs crisis handling.17 Khrushchev viewed the Cuban Missile Crisis as a chance to

13
Gottfried, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 78.
14
Sherman, "Democratic or Anti-Communist," in The Cold War, 51.
15
"Meeting of the Delegations of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist
Party, Moscow, 5-20 July 1963"
16
Austin Jersild, The Sino-Soviet Alliance: An International History (Chapel Hill, NC: University of North
Carolina Press, 2014), 225. https://www.questiaschool.com/library/120089427/the-sino-soviet-alliance-an-
international-history.
17
Jeremy Friedman, Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World (Chapel Hill,
NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2015), 96, Accessed November 8, 2016,
 Bautista/ 6

redeem himself, his Berlin failure during the blockade caused the Soviet military to look weak.

Khrushchev began to use blackmail and deception during the crisis as a way to alter the way

nations perceived the Soviet Union.18 Khrushchev began to lie about the number of weapons the

Soviets had in Cuba as a way to intimidate other nations, eventually caught in his lie the Chinese

began to believe that Khrushchev was not as powerful as he seemed, the Chinese felt like

Khrushchev acted immaturely.

Another factor of the deterioration in Sino-Soviet relations due to Khrushchevs handling

of the Cuban Missile Crisis was changes in ideology and beliefs, causing China to believe that

Khrushchev was no longer a true communist. Khrushchevs actions during the Missile Crisis

gave China the realization that their Marxist-Leninist ideology was not the same.19 Khrushchevs

actions were what he believed to be vital to communism but Chinas perspective was not the

same, causing further disagreements.20 At some point, the two nations began to form a different

ideology as Khrushchev began to distance from Stalinism while Mao grew close to it.21 No

crucial event had occurred to make it obvious the split in ideologies of the two nations, the

Cuban Missile Crisis eventually showed the division within the alliance. Chinese government

officials in a 1969 meeting criticized Khrushchev as foolish for first putting the missiles in Cuba,

and cowardly removing the missiles. They also stated that Khrushchev had betrayed the

international communist cause.22 For the Chinese to feel as if Khrushchev has betrayed

communism showed the dislike and the beginning of where the Sino-Soviet alliance would end.

https://www.questiaschool.com/read/125111809/shadow-cold-war-the-sino-soviet-competition-for.
18
Ray S. Cline, "Commentary: The Cuban Missile Crisis," 1989, in The Soviets Put Missiles in Cuba to
Alter Perceptions of the Balance of Power, ed. Myra Immell (Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press,
2010), 80.
19
Friedman, Shadow Cold War, 6-7.
20
Friedman, Shadow Cold War, 6-7.
21
Gottfried, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 19.
22
Gottfried, The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union, 79.
 Bautista/ 7

Khrushchev began to denounce any Stalinism in China which was the start of the ideological

differences between the two nations as Mao viewed Stalin as an important figure. Over time the

Soviet Union and Communist China began to form a different ideology, Khrushchevs actions in

Cuba caused both nations to see their differences for the first time.

Overall Khrushchev relations with the US caused major tension with Mao eventually

leading to the Sino-Soviet Split. There were other factors such as Khrushchevs want for political

power and different ideology which would determine Khrushchevs actions during the crisis. The

Cuban Missile Crisis was a critical point between Mao and Khrushchev. Although Khrushchev

thought that the crisis could be the chance to spread Communism and to continue their alliance

with China, it did the exact opposite due to miscalculated decisions. After the missile crisis the

Sino-Soviet alliance began to deteriorate further until 1989 when both nations ended their

alliance, Khrushchevs actions in the missile crisis became a key role in the split.

Section 3: Reflection

In this investigation, I was able to conduct research and explore various sources in

regards to the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Sino-Soviet split. As my investigation involved four

different nations, my primary sources gave me insight on the differences between other nations.

While looking through sources from various nations, I noticed that a problem with archive-based

history is that not all archives are easily accessible to the public or are written in different

languages. This problem was seen with one of the primary source used, Meeting of the

Delegations of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist Party,
 Bautista/ 8

Moscow, 5-20 July 1963 which had to be translated into english and moved into a archive

difficult to find.

Also, historians face the challenge of having to pick what evidence to use and its

reliability to make a historical story with the little evidence they have, at the same time they need

to prevent any hindsight bias. The Cuban Missile Crisis duration occurred less than a month,

and in that short time period there was a high amount of tension between the Soviet Union and

China which would then lead to the Sino-Soviet Split. During this time, documents were released

and many Chinese sources lacked evidence since Khrushchev and Kennedy did not inform China

or other nations of their actions during this time period. It was later revealed in sources that the

motives of Khrushchevs actions with the US were kept a secret from China, causing China to

portray the Soviets as evil. With my investigation I had to take in consideration that some

historians had to piece together information from various archives as Chinese documents during

this time lacked full information. Yet the lack of information also allowed to be evaluate the

deception involved during the crisis.

Lastly, in some primary sources, like the open letter to the Soviet Communist Party, it

could have been used as a way to publicly motivate the Chinese public to distance themselves

from the Soviet Union as it spoke of Chinese Communist pride and the unfaithfulness of the

Soviet Union. This causes a limitation in the investigation as the source could be bias, as there

was a lack of information there was an inference of opinion of the situation.

 Bautista/ 9

Bibliography

Burd, Laurence. The US Offers the Soviet Union an Opportunity to Negotiate. In The
Cuban Missile Crisis, edited by Myra Immell, 43-48. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven
Press, 2010. Previously published as Kennedy Offers to Negotiate If Reds Abandon
Missile Sites. Chicago Daily Tribune (Chicago, IL), October 28, 1962, 1-2.

Chinese Communist Party, The Leaders of the CPSU are the Greates Splitters of Our
Times, February 4, 1964. Fordham University Modern History Sourcebook, Accessed
November 14, 2016. http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/mod/1964CCP-onCPSU.asp.

Cline, Ray S. Commentary: The Cuban Missile Crisis. 1989. In The Soviets Put
Missiles in Cuba to Alter Perceptions of the Balance of Power. Edited by Myra Immell,
76-83. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2010.

Friedman, Jeremy. Shadow Cold War: The Sino-Soviet Competition for the Third World.
Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2015. Accessed November 8, 2016.
https://www.questiaschool.com/read/125111809/shadow-cold-war-the-sino-soviet-
competition-for.

Gottfried, Ted. The Rise and Fall of the Soviet Union. Brookfield, CT: 21st Century
Books, 2003.

Hilsman, Roger. The Cuban Missile Crisis: The Struggle over Policy. Westport, CT:
Praeger, 1996. Accessed November 17, 2016.
https://www.questiaschool.com/library/1902065/the-cuban-missile-crisis-the-struggle-
over-policy.

Jersild, Austin. The Sino-Soviet Alliance: An International History. Chapel Hill, NC:
University of North Carolina Press, 2014. Accessed November 8, 2016.
https://www.questiaschool.com/library/120089427/the-sino-soviet-alliance-an-
international-history.

Medland, William J. The Cuban Missile Crisis: Evolving Historical Perspectives. The
History Teacher 23, no. 4 (August 1990): 433-77. Accessed November 13, 2016.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/494397.

"Meeting of the Delegations of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Chinese
Communist Party, Moscow, 5-20 July 1963 ," July 08, 1963, History and Public Policy
Program Digital Archive, SAPMO Barch JIV 2/207 698, pp. 187-330 (in Russian).
Obtained by Vladislav Zubok and translated by Benjamin Aldrich-Moodie. Accessed
November 18, 2016. http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/111237
 Bautista/ 10

Memorandum of Conversation between the Delegates from the Society for Soviet-
Chinese Friendship (OKSD), Li Xigeng and Li Zhanwu, with the Societys General
Secretariat, 18 November 1962. Accessed November 18, 2016.Wilson Center Digital
Archive. http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/116832.

Quenoy, Paul Du. The Role of Foreign Affairs in the Fall of Nikita Khrushchev in
October 1964. The International History Review 25, no. 2 (June 2003): 334-56.
Accessed November 11, 2016. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40109322.

Sherman, Josepha. Democratic or Anti-Communist. In The Cold War, 46-54.

Minneapolis, MN: Lerner, 2004. Accessed November 8, 2016.
https://www.questiaschool.com/library/120074866/the-cold-war.