1919-1946
From aviation to diplomacy
Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin was born on November 16, 1919, at Krasnaya Gorka near Moscow. Trained first as an aviation engineer, he moved into diplomacy during and after World War II.
← George F Kennan
Anatoly Dobrynin
Anatoly Dobrynin was a Soviet diplomat who served as ambassador to the United States from 1962 to 1986. He represented Moscow through six American presidencies, helped maintain communication during the Cuban Missile Crisis, became central to U.S.-Soviet back-channel diplomacy, and later served in the Communist Party leadership under Mikhail Gorbachev.
- Born
- 1919 CE
- Died
- 2010 CE
- Role
- Soviet diplomat and ambassador to the United States
Soviet diplomat and ambassador to the United States (1919-2010)
Quick facts
Profile details
Additional identity and tagging details that are not already covered in the introduction.
- Full name
- Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin
- Also known as
- Anatoliy Dobrynin
Facts
Anatoly Dobrynin timeline facts
Selected specifics from this profile's life story.
- 1919-1946
- From aviation to diplomacy
- 1962
- Arriving in a dangerous year
- 1969-1976
- Back-channel diplomacy
- 2010
- The diplomat as shock absorber
Anatoly Fyodorovich Dobrynin was born on November 16, 1919, at Krasnaya Gorka near Moscow. Trained first as an aviation engineer, he moved into diplomacy during and after World War II.
Dobrynin became Soviet ambassador to the United States in 1962, the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Under Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, Dobrynin became a key participant in confidential back-channel diplomacy over arms control, Berlin, Vietnam and detente.
Dobrynin died in Moscow on April 6, 2010. His legacy is that of a disciplined Soviet representative who helped keep communication alive between nuclear rivals.
Life Journey
The quiet channel through the Cold War
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1952-1960
Learning Washington
Dobrynin served in Washington during the 1950s, then worked in Moscow and at the United Nations before becoming a senior specialist on the United States.
1962
Arriving in a dangerous year
Dobrynin became Soviet ambassador to the United States in 1962, the year of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
October 1962
The Robert Kennedy channel
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Dobrynin met Attorney General Robert Kennedy in exchanges that helped communicate terms for ending the confrontation.
1962-1986
Six presidents, five Soviet leaders
Dobrynin remained ambassador through the presidencies of Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter and Reagan.
1969-1976
Back-channel diplomacy
Under Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, Dobrynin became a key participant in confidential back-channel diplomacy over arms control, Berlin, Vietnam and detente.
1986-1988
Return to Moscow
After leaving Washington, Dobrynin headed the International Department of the Communist Party Central Committee under Gorbachev before retiring from that post in 1988.
2010
The diplomat as shock absorber
Dobrynin died in Moscow on April 6, 2010. His legacy is that of a disciplined Soviet representative who helped keep communication alive between nuclear rivals.
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This profile is written for educational use and connects to related Stories of History pages. Illustrations are original artistic interpretations.
