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Khrushchev Remembers: The Glasnost Tapes (Vol 3)

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Kruschev dictated this memoire in the last years of his life. reading it one's mind conjures images of Kruschev sitting low in a leather chair beside his fireplace, sipping vodka and telling his extraordinary life in a low, crackled voice. we in the west are, or rather have been, severly deprived of views in the east, told by those doing the viewing. we never really knew the motive behind soviet tanks rolling into prague in 1968; we only knew what journalists and government "experts" thought. but now kruschev sheds light on motives and the rest in the soviet union while he was involved. he explains his reasons for not confronting stalin, even though he knew it was wrong, and he tells of this great love they had for the countries the soviets occupied. they are different than the explanations from those "experts" we've come to trust. but the question must be asked: is kruschev, seeing his life coming to an end, putting it into a noble context with this memoire? is he claiming innocence in the face of his personal judgement day? is he employing a phrase that is used far too often to get bad leaders off the hook: "well, we meant well." in any case, this work is a welcome change from the western analysis of soviet thought, motive, and perspective.

The book is an historical compendium from the perspective
of Khrushchev in his retirement years. He discusses his
family and chance rise to power within the bureaucratic
maze of Soviet politics during the Stalin era. The work provides
an important perspective for future generations of historians.
He relates the details of a potential land deal involving
Russian territories offered to Hitler during the War. The book
contains many pictures of political figures in the previous
century. Importantly, Khrushchev recited some regrets.
For instance, he regretted not supporting Pasternak.
" ... I feel sorry that I didn't support Pasternak. I regret that I had a hand in banning his book and that I supported
Suslov. We should have given the readers the opportunity to reach their own verdict. Judgments should depend on the readers.
I'm truly sorry for the way I behaved toward Pasternak. My only
excuse is that I didn't read the book."

The book contains a very detailed history of Khrushchev's career
in the Appendix. This work is a "must read" for serious
students of world history. It will be read for years to come
by historians throughout the world. Fortunately, the United States
prevailed in the Cold War. It will take generations to
unscramble the rumblings throughout the world as a result of
the Cold War and the aftermath of the reconstruction efforts.

When Comrade Nikita was ousted from being the head of the USSR, he did not just quietly "fade away." He lived many more yeas, and dictated his thoughts and memoirs for future generations to understand what he had experienced. In this, the last of the three books of his memoirs, he opens up on several subjects which were too politically sensitive before Gorbachev's time to publish.
The events of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and other events that were tinged with controversy make their way to publication here, and therefore offers a great chance to get some idea of Khrushchev's opinion and motivations in some major issues.