Nikita Khrushchev is denied access to Disneyland - September 19th, 1959

On this day in 1959, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev lost his composure after being told that he could not go to Disneyland.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This Day in History Class is a production of iHeartRadio.
Hello and Welcome to This Day in History Class, a
show that takes you on a quick trip through history
every day of the week. I'm Gabe Lucier, and in
this episode, we're looking at a bizarre moment in Cold
War history, the day when the leader of the Soviet

(00:22):
Union threw a tantrum because he wasn't allowed to ride
the teacups. The day was September nineteenth, nineteen fifty nine.
Soviet leader Nikita Khrushev lost his composure after being told

(00:43):
that he could not go to Disneyland. An afternoon visit
to the park had been scheduled for his wife and
two daughters, but when the Soviet premiere expressed an interest
in tagging along, American officials wouldn't allow it. Khrushchev made
a fiery speech criticize it his exclusion, and in the end,
no one in his family went to Disneyland. Nikita Khrushev

(01:07):
came to power following the death of infamous dictator Joseph
Stalin in nineteen fifty three. Most in the international community
expected his leadership style to be more of the same,
but in a pleasant surprise, Khrushev announced his desire for
a peaceful coexistence with the United States. It was with
that goal in mind that the US and Soviet governments

(01:30):
arranged for Khrushchev and his family to visit America in
nineteen fifty nine, four days prior to his non visit
to Disneyland, Khrushchev arrived in Washington, d c. For a
coast to coast tour of the country, followed by a
summit meeting with President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It was the
first time a Soviet head of state had ever set

(01:52):
foot on American soil, and Khrushev intended to make the
most of his twelve day visit. His whirlwind schedule would
take him to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and
Des Moines before returning to the nation's capital to meet
with the President. His family tagged along for the tour,
and although they only spent a single day in Hollywood,

(02:13):
it proved to be one of the most memorable parts
of their visit for all the wrong reasons. Every leg
of the Khrushev's journey had been carefully planned in advance
by the Soviet security Police and the U. S. State Department,
But it wasn't until the flight to Los Angeles on
September nineteenth that Khrushev learned he would be touring the

(02:34):
city's housing developments while his wife and children went to Disneyland.
The news came as quite a blow to Khrushchev, who
had been looking forward to seeing Walt Disney's famous theme
park in person. He asked his aides to make arrangements
for him to visit as well, but they told him
that wouldn't be possible. Apparently, the Los Angeles chief of

(02:54):
Police had recommended Khrushev not attend Disneyland, as he thought
the crowdouds might pose a safety risk and wasn't sure
the department would be able to provide adequate security for
the thirty mile trip down to Anaheim. The Soviet police
agreed to drop his visit from the schedule, but unfortunately
no one on the Soviet Premier's team had told him

(03:17):
of the change in plans. As a result, Khrushchev was
already in a bad mood by the time he landed
in Los Angeles, and the disappointment continued to gnaw at
him for the rest of the day. After being greeted
by the city's mayor at the airport, Khrushev and his
wife proceeded to the twentieth Century Fox Movie Studio in Hollywood.

(03:38):
They were treated to a behind the scenes tour of
an active sound stage where the musical can Can was
currently in production. The cast of the film, including Shirley Maclin,
Frank Sinatra, and Juliette Prauss, greeted them enthusiastically. McLain even
tried to get the premier to join her in an
impromptu dance, but he politely declined. Of course, the tour

(04:01):
went smoothly enough, with the cast of the film performing
a musical number just for the Krushevs, but things got
a little bumpy when the studio's president, Spiro Scorus, introduced
the Soviet leader at ELA's town hall. Scorus, who is
devoutly anti Communist, made a reference to Khrushev's famous boast
that the Soviet Union would quote bury capitalism. Scorus remarked

(04:26):
that Los Angeles wasn't interested in burying anyone, but that
it would meet the challenge if needed. Khrushev didn't appreciate
that light hearted taunt, and his response was deadly serious.
If you want to go on with the arms race,
he told Scorus, very well, we accept that challenge. As

(04:46):
for the output of rockets, well they are on the
assembly line. This is a most serious question. It is
one of life or death, ladies and gentlemen, one of
war and peace. Following that tense risk exception at town Hall,
the Khrushchevs returned to twentieth Century Fox Studios for a
star studded luncheon. They were seated alongside Hollywood legends such

(05:10):
as Gary Cooper, Eddie Fisher, Marilyn Monroe, and James Mason.
But Khrushchev couldn't have cared less. He was still stewing
over his canceled trip to Disneyland, a fact he made
painfully clear by delivering a bitter tirade right in the
middle of the meal. We have come to this town,
he said, where lives the cream of American art. And

(05:33):
just imagine I a premier, a Soviet representative. When I
came here to this city, I was given a plan,
a program of what I was to be shown and
whom I was to meet. But just now I was
told that I could not go to Disneyland. I asked,
why not? What is it? Do you have rocket launching
pads there? I do not know? And just listen, just

(05:56):
listen to what I was told. To what reason I
was told we which means the American authorities cannot guarantee
your security if you go there. What is it? Is
there an epidemic of cholera there or something? Or have
gangsters taken over the place that can destroy me? Then
what must I do? Commit suicide? This is the situation.

(06:18):
I am in your guest for me. The situation is inconceivable.
I cannot find words to explain this to my people.
The celebrities and attendance were stunned by the Soviet leader's outburst.
Frank Sinatra, who was seated next to missus Khrushev, reportedly
leaned over to actor David Niven and said, quote, tell

(06:40):
the old broad you and I will take them down
there this afternoon. A State Department official later made it
clear that missus Khrushev and her daughters were welcome to
visit Disneyland, but she ultimately decided to stay with her
husband in solidarity. The Krushevs spent the rest of the
afternoon touring the arts architecture of Los Angeles, and departed

(07:02):
the city the following morning. Aside from that rough day
in Los Angeles, the Soviet leader's first trip to America
was largely his success. His meeting with President Eisenhower at
Camp David was cordial, if not productive, and by the
end of the trip all of his photo ops had
succeeded in boosting the American public's opinion of him for

(07:23):
the first time in more than a decade. Peace between
the United States and the Soviet Union seemed possible, but
alas it wasn't meant to be. All the good will
between the heads of state evaporated the following May when
an American U two spy plane was shot down over
the Soviet Union. The news broke during a crucial Paris

(07:45):
Summit conference about disarmament, and Nikita Krushev stormed out after
condemning the US for its actions. Any hopes of peace
were dashed in that moment, and the Cold War would
drag on for another three decades. Letting Khrushev go to Disneyland,
probably it wouldn't have changed that outcome, which you never know.

(08:09):
I'm Gabeluesier and hopefully you now know a little more
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(08:31):
Day at iHeartMedia dot com. Thanks to Chandler Mays for
producing the show, and thanks to you for listening. I'll
see you back here again tomorrow for another day in
History class.