60 years ago, Khrushchev’s speech at the UN was vigorously discussed in the world news, giving rise to more than one myth, some of which live to this day. We are trying to figure out one of these stories.

On October 12, 1960, a famous meeting of the UN General Assembly was held, during which Khrushchev supposedly Pound a boot on the rostrum. Although the leading world media wrote about this incident and photographs even appeared in the press, the veracity of history was soon subjected to Serious doubts, and the photo was recognized Fake. However, a strong image was fixed in the minds of people, and subsequently grew with the shocking statement of Khrushchev about Kuzkin's mother. We understand how everything really was.

If the witnesses recall the story with the possible use of the boot differently, with Kuzkina’s mother, everything is much more unambiguous. Khrushchev really promised to show her to the Americans, but a year earlier-not in New York, but in Moscow. In 1959 in Sokolniki opened American national exhibition, designed to demonstrate to Soviet citizens the latest developments of overseas industry. Vice President Nixon and General Secretary of Khrushchev, who had the so-called exhibition, came to the opening of the exhibition. kitchen debate - A dispute about the pros and cons of communism and capitalism for an ordinary citizen. Personal translator of Soviet party leaders Viktor Sudokrev I remembered:

At that time, well -known five -story buildings were erected in our country, and Khrushchev, of course, tried to convince the guest that it was necessary to build not individual private houses, but apartment buildings. And everything was fine, until Nikita Sergeyevich had fallen up and promised Nixon show the Americans Kuzkin mother. My colleague from the Bureau of Translations of the Foreign Ministry Yuri Lepanov, who accompanied Khrushchev that day, adhered to his way of translating idiomatic expressions: at first he translated everything literally, and then explained. And then at the exhibition he first translated: “We will show you the mother of Kuzma” - and then he tried to explain what this means, but, it seems, not very successful.

Nikita Khrushchev and Richard Nixon at an exhibition in Sokolniki (Ap Photo)

Sudotrev recalls that the expression “Kuzkina Mother” was generally one of Khrushchev’s beloved by Idiom-he used it during the same trip to the United States in 1960. Before visiting the UN, the Soviet leader visited several American cities, including Los Angeles. Khrushchev described his impressions So: “Yes, of course, everything is arranged neatly, clean, people are well dressed ... but nothing. We will also show you Kuzkin’s mother ... ”However, Khrushchev’s speech to the UN was much less expressive, and in it this expression Not mentioned. The delegates who were present at the meeting do not remember the Kuzkina.

By the way, the Soviet leader interpreted the importance of this expression incorrectly. In the Dahl collection “Proverbs of the Russian People” saying “I will show you Kuzkin’s mother” is located in the section about threats - perhaps that is why the translators saw aggression in Khrushchev’s statement. The Secretary General himself believed that the idiom means "showing what they had never seen."