From the Russians to Americans: The Gift of State & Peace from Premier Nikita Khrushchev on the First Visit of any Soviet Leader to the US - A Magnificent and Ornately Engraved Long Gun Meant to Convey to the US the Russian Desire that "The firearms used in the future by our two countries need be no longer than this shotgun for the preservation of world peace" (First Thaw of the Cold War: Never before offered for sale and not previously known to have survived, acquired by Raab directly from the family of the recipient, Ike's Secretary of Defense, Neil McElroy)

Dwight D. Eisenhower

About this Item

Perhaps the most historically important gun to reach the market; Gifts of state are themselves rare, as since an Act of Congress in 1978, they have belonged to the nation and not the recipient; The magnificent shotgun, another one of which was given to President Eisenhower, comes with a copy of the thank you letter from McElroy to Khrushchev?Khrushchev?s visit lessened Cold War tensions and was a major reason the Cold War did not turn hot?"This gun is an embodiment of Nikita Khrushchev's policies in more ways than one: the diplomatic effort to make peace with the West, and the domestic reforms aimed to turn the military-industrial second into profitable enterprises operating on open civilian market,? says author Aleksei Morozovhttps://vimeo.com/1068197728?ProvenanceThis gift was given by the craftsmen in Izhevsk to Premier Khrushchev, who brought it from Moscow and instructed his foreign policy team to present it to Secretary of Defense Neil McElroy, a gift of state meant to symbolize a detente between the two nations. It was retained by McElroy and passed to his son, whose heirs sold it directly to us. It has never before been offered for sale and was not known to have survived.RarityThis is perhaps the most historically significant long gun, given its symbolism as a symbolic gift of state between the two dominant 20th powers at a crucial moment in the Cold War, ever offered for sale. There are no comparables on the public market. Gifts of state are themselves rare, as since an Act of Congress in 1978, they have belonged to the nation and not the recipientHistorical backgroundIn September 1959, the Soviet Premier, Nikita S. Khrushchev, visited the United States for about two weeks. This was the first visit by a Soviet head of state to America and was seen as a momentous occasion, absolutely dominating the news at the time. Khrushchev's fundamental purpose in making the trip was to gain a better understanding of what America was, and to promote mutual understanding between the Soviet Union and the United States on matters of importance to both. Khrushchev hoped that mutual understanding would eventually lead to peaceful coexistence, feeling his visit would be the first step on that road. Dr. Sergei Khrushchev - the son of the late Soviet Premier who made the trip with him and became a U.S. citizen in 1999 - considers this visit to be ?the beginning of the mutual interaction of the two worlds."On his trip, Khrushchev wanted to talk about politics with President Eisenhower and his senior officials, such as Secretary of Defense Neil McElroy: the need for a peace treaty between East Germany and the United States, the mutual advantages that would result from the establishment of trade relations between the United States and the Soviet Union, and most importantly, the necessity of complete and universal disarmament. Even though the U-2 spy-plane incident in May 1960, and Berlin Wall and Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 were setbacks, the ultimate success of Khrushchev's trip the United States in 1959 was increased interaction, a lessening of tensions, the 1962 Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, and a better comprehension of both nations? core Cold War positions, which was a major reason that the Cold War did not turn hot.Khrushchev?s hopes to establish a mutual understanding with the United States were embodied not merely by the exchange of views on certain issues so that the two sides understood the position of the other, but also understood the reasons each had for their perspectives. In Khrushchev?s mind, this mutual understanding also went beyond diplomacy and extended to seeing America's people, to letting them see him, to becoming familiar with American culture, and to experiencing what the United States had to offer. This was the success of the visit, which had a significant immediate impact on the Cold War.The backdrop for Khrushchev?s visit is essentially a history of the Cold War, which often threatened to get hot and lead to a nuclear.

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Bibliographic Details

• Title: From the Russians to Americans: The Gift of State & Peace from Premier Nikita Khrushchev on the First Visit of any Soviet Leader to the US - A Magnificent and Ornately Engraved Long Gun Meant to Convey to the US the Russian Desire that "The firearms used in the future by our two countries need be no longer than this shotgun for the preservation of world peace" (First Thaw of the Cold War: Never before offered for sale and not previously known to have survived, acquired by Raab directly from the...