In his 1952, President Truman singled out one Soviet leader who opposed disarmament, "Disarmament is not a joke. Vishinsky's laughter met with shock and anger from the people all over the world."
But just who was Mr. Vyshinksy? In the early 1950's, Andrei Vyshinsky was Soviet Union's best known political figure. He headed the Soviet UN delegation and was best known for his inflammatory rhetoric and undiplomatic abuse of other UN delegates.
On April 4, 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington D.C. and established the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed by a committee chaired by the U.S. diplomat Theodore Achilles. The Alliance was established to deter Soviet expansionism, forbid national militarism, and encourage European political integration. When the agreement was originally signed, it did not have a military structure, but two event changed all of this. First, the Soviets detonated an atomic bomb in 1949, and second the Korean war broke out in 1950. Soon NATO established the Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe, or SHAPE, with US General Dwight D. Eisenhower as the first Supreme Allied Commander Europe. When U.S. Diplomat and NATO proposed a plan of disarmament, the Soviets saw this as a direct threat to them. On November 8th, Mr. Vishinsky addressed the General Assembly to the United Nations, and denounced the North Atlantic Pact as a threat directed at Russia, "I hardly slept all night because I could not keep from laughing. I cannot help laughing even on this nostrum."
Here are the Truman's full words regarding Mr. Vishinsky's laugh:
"The United Nations, the world's greatest hope for peace, has come through a year of trial stronger and more useful than ever. The free nations have stood together in blocking Communist attempts to tear up the charter.At the present session of the United Nations in Paris, we, together with the British and the French, offered a plan to reduce and control all armaments under a foolproof inspection system. This is a concrete, practical proposal for disarmament.But what happened ? Vishinsky laughed at it. Listen to what he said: "I could hardly sleep at all last night .... I could not sleep because I kept laughing." The world will be a long time forgetting the spectacle of that fellow laughing at disarmament.Disarmament is not a joke. Vishinsky's laughter met with shock and anger from the people all over the world. And, as a result, Mr. Stalin's representative received orders to stop laughing and start talking.If the Soviet leaders were to accept this proposal, it would lighten the burden of armaments, and permit the resources of the earth to be devoted to the good of mankind. But until the Soviet Union accepts a sound disarmament proposal, and joins in peaceful settlements, we have no choice except to build up our defenses."
Life, November 19, 1951 (Picture of Vishinsky laughing)
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