KHRUSHCHEV'S 'WE WILL BURY YOU'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP73B00296R000200040087-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 17
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 4, 2002
• Sequence Number: 87
• Publication Date: February 7, 1962
• Content Type: REPORT

STATSPEC
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7 February 19 2
KHRUSHCHEV''S "WE WILL BURY YOU"
The ,we will bury you" threat widely attributed to Khrushchev in
Western press was reported to have been made at a send-off recepti::t,
for Poland's Gomulka in Moscow in November 1956. According to TIME
Magazine, Khrushchev was overheard to say "at the final reception"
for the Polish leader:
If you don't like us, don't accept our invitations and
don't invite us to come to see you. Whether you like it
or not, history is on our side. We will bury you!
The final reception for Gomulka was held at the Polish Embassy in
Moscow on 18 November 1956. Moscow's purported text of Khrushchev's
remarks at this gathering, though edited to tone down some of the
Soviet leader's more intemperate language, contains what is probably
a sanitized version of the above passage. It does not include the
"we will bury you" remark as such, but concludes with atypical
elaboration of the notion that history is on the side of socialism:
We tell representatives of the capitalist countries: If
you like, you can come and visit us; if you do not--you
need not come. This will not upset us unduly.
Coexistence is necessary to us all. ... We Leninists are
convinced that our social order, socialism, will in the
long run conquer capitalism. Such is the logic of the
historical development of mankind.
Nearly a full year later, on 5 October 1957, TASS publicized a state-
ment by the Soviet delegation to the U.N. General Assembly complaining
about Ambassador Lodge's references to "pronouncements allegedly made
by N.S. Khrushchev on 17 November 195611:*
The words which Mr. Lodge insists were said by Khrushchev
on 17 November--"we will bury you"--are the fruit of idle
talk by those who are instructed to handicap the improve-
ment of Soviet-American relations....
Khrushchev on five subsequent occasions publicly denied having made
various versions of the "bury you" remark: He flatly and indignantly
* Ambassador Lodge had given 17 rather than 18 November as the date of
the "we will bury you" remark. Apparent confusion over the date in the
West stems from the fact that there were two receptions for Gomulka,
one on the 17th, and another on the 18 h, and Khrushchev ranted against
Apv~orel$e~'2Q(~01 ,RDP73B96R00020004~0Q87-
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denied having said he would "bury the American people" ("I never
said any such rubbish as that"); he flatly denied an intention to
destroy capitalism by means of war ("no, I have never said this and
never will"); and he explained--three times--that he did not mean
digging capitalism's grave "in the physical sense." On 1.6 September
1959, asked at the National Press Club in Washington about the "we
will bury you" threat, he said:
I really spoke about that, but my statement was deliberately
distorted. What I meant was not the physical burying of
anyone or at any time, but a change of the social system in
the historical development of society....
Khrushchev and other Soviet spokesmen have in fact used the "burial of
capitalism" figure of speech a number of times. They have used it
occasionally in predicting that capitalism will perish in the event of
a thermonuclear war--still the official Soviet line, despite the in-
creasing frankness with which Soviet spokesmen over the past five years
have acknowledged the great damage such a war would bring to both
sides. But the forecasts of capitalism's demise, or "burial," have
most often been made in an ideological rather than a military context:
The ultimate death of capitalism is pictured not as resulting from a
Soviet military victory, but as a result of inevitable rejection by
"the peoples" of a system (capitalism) which breeds wars in favor of a
better system (socialism) which ensures peace.
Part I of the attached compilation reproduces TIME's report of the
"we will bury you" remark. PartII reproduces the Soviet denials and
explanations. Part III contains some of the statements Khrushchev
has made, and Soviet media have publicized, about the eventual
"burial" of capitalism by its own hand, by "mankind," or by "the
proletariat."
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TIME MAGAZINE' S ACCOUN T
(in the issue of 26 November 1956)
;aWill Bury You 1 n
At the final reception for Poland's visiting Gomulka, stubby Nikita
Khrushchev planted himself firmly with the Kremlin's whole hierarchy
at his back, and faced the diplomats of the West, and the satellites,
with an intemperate' speech that betrayed as much as it threatened.
"Vie are Bolsheviks!" he declared pugnaciously. "We stick firmly to
the Lenin precept--don't be stubborn if you see you are wrong, but
don't give in if you are right." "When are you right?" interjected
First Deputy Premier Mikoyan--and the crowd laughed. Nildta plunged
on, turning to the Western diplomats. "About the capitalist states,
it doesn't depend on you whether or not we exist. If you don't like
us, don't accept our invitations, and don't invite us to come to
see you. Whether'you like it or not,' history is on our side. We
will bury you!"
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II.. DENIALS AND EXPLANATIONS OF THE "WE WILL BURY YOLP' Pmt {
Speaking in the General Committee 30 September,Mr. Lodge, representa-
tive of the United States to the 12th General Assembly session, said
the USSR allegedly made no secret, and that this was more than once
implied by Mr. Khrushchev, about its unwillingness to coexist peace-
fully with the United States. In confirmation of this absolutely
groundless statement, Mr. Lodge referred to prouneements allegedly
made by N.S. Khrushchev on 17 November 1956.
Such assertions by Mr. Lodge do not tally with facts. It is a matter
of common knowledge that, from the very first days of its existence,
the Soviet Union has always stood for peaceful coexistence among
states, irrespective of their social systems. This refers to the
United States as well. In its relations with other states, the
Soviet Union has proved its desire to base relations with other
countries on the principles of peaceful coexistence.
The words which Mr. Lodge insists were said by Khrushchev on 17 Novem-
ber--"we will bury you"--are the fruit of idle talk by those who are
instructed to handicap the improvement of Soviet-American relations
in every way.
In reality, the speech made by Khrushchev 17 November 1956, during
a reception at the Kremlin in honor of the delegation of the Central
Committee of the Polish United Workers Party and the Government of
the Polish People's Republic contained other things, which Mr. Lodge
could have learned from the Soviet papers of 18 November 1956.
"The Soviet Government," Khrushchev said on 17 November, "will un-
tiringly strive to consolidate peace, to ease international tension.
Today's statement of the Soviet Government on the reduction of arma-
ments and the relaxation of international tension is a new confirma-
tion of this stand. We shall strive in every way to consolidate
world peace and shall consistently pursue a policy of peaceful coexist-
ence."
In another statement, made on 18 November at a reception in the Polish
Embassy in Moscow and published by the press 19 November, Khrushchev
said: "There can be no question as to whether peaceful coexistence
of different states is necessary. Coexistence means the recognition
of facts as they are. Vie tell the representatives of capitalist
countries if you wish, you may call on us as guests. If not, then
don't come at all. We won't be greatly disappointed.
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"But we need coexistence. After all, what can you do about the fact
that the Great October Socialist Revolution did take place, that
there is the Soviet Union and a whole system of socialist camp
countries.
"Such is the law of social development--a law which is operating in
our favor. We Leninists are convinced that our social system,
socialism, will ultimately triumph over capitalism. This is the
logical course of mankind's historical development."
[The statement goes on to quote Khrushchev's remarks in a. 28 May
1957 interview with CBS about the triumph of socialism, peaceful
coexistence, and normalizing relations between the Soviet Union and
the United States.]
The quoted authentic pronouncements by N. S. Khrushchev show that
.Mr. Lodge's assertions are absolutely groundless.
(Statement by the Soviet delegation to the U.N. General Assembly in
New York, TASS, 5 October 1957)
Some of the representatives of the capitalist countries reproach me
for allegedly having said that we shall "bury capitalism." I have
already said that there is one thing I want, and that is to be under-
stood correctly. The imperialists are digging their own grave; such
is their nature. Karl Marx showed a long time ago how this is done;
yet they do not understand it even now. I want to say but one
thing:. Mind, we shall not dig your grave in the physical sense. If
you like the capitalist regime so well continue to live under
capitalism as long as you can, how long it will be I cannot tell.
We do not interfere in your internal affairs; but neither must you
interfere in the way we want to live, in our internal affairs. Let
us better compete at who is going to produce more per capita. For
instance, this excellent ham which our Polish friends offered us here
today. If capitalism will do this, it means it will live longer; if
socialism will do it, it means the term of capitalism will be out
short.
(Khrushchev speech at Polish Embassy in Moscow, 4 September 1959)
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11-3
Question: You are often quoted as having said at one diplomatic
reception that you will bury us. If you did not say that, perhaps
you will deny that statement, and if you did, will you explain what
you meant?
Khrushchev: Here in this hall there is present but a small fraction
of America. It would take more than my life span if I conceived the
idea of burying all of you. I really spoke about that, but my state-
ment was deliberately distorted. What I meant was not physical burying
of anyone or at any time, but a change of the social system in the
historical development of society. Every educated person knows that
at the present time there exists more than one.social system in the
world. Various states, various people, have different systems. The
social system changes with the development of society. There was a
feudalism which was supplanted by capitalism. Capitalism provided
better conditions for the development of productive forces. But
capitalism begot irreconcilable contradictions. Every system, when
it outlives its time, begets its heirs. Capitalism, as Marx, Engels,
and Lenin have proved, will be replaced by communism. We believe
that. Many of you do not believe in that. But in your country, too,
there are people who believe in it.
At the reception in question, I said that during historical develop-
ment and in the historical sense capitalism will be buried; that
capitalism will be supplanted with communism. You might say that this
cannot be. But is it not a fact that the feudals burned at the stake
people who fought against feudalism? But nevertheless capitalism has
triumphed. Capitalism is fighting against communism. I an convinced
that communism... will win.
(Khrushchev during a press conference at the National Press Club in
Washington, 16 September 1959)
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I hope you understand why I repeat some well-known truths. Such
is the development of world history that two social systems now
exist on earth--socialism and capitalism. These social systems are
antagonistic. We, the people of the socialist camp, are convinced
that the hour of capitalism has struck, that this is an obsolete
system. The proponents of capitalism, embellishing and whitewashing
their system, seek to extend its duration. You remember that I was
accused in the United States of trying nearly physically to bury
each capitalist. The communists, understanding the inevitability
of the downfall of capitalism and rejoicing that such an hour will
come, nevertheless are not guided in their actions by naive senti-
ments and ideas and do not intend to bury every capitalist, for they
understand that capitalism is its own gravedigger.
It would be truer to say, when the question arises as to who will
bury whom, that the gravedigger of capitalism, as Karl MD.rx said,
will be the working class. And I, as a member of the Communist
Party, a member of the great and mighty workers class, do not ex-
clude myself from the ranks of gravediggers of capitalism. The
working class of every country will be proud to fulfill this
historic mission of burying capitalism and to create a new, socialist-
communist society.
(Khrushchev speech at the Third Rumanian Workers Party Congress in
Bucharest, 21 June 1960)
You may remember my speech in America when I said that your grand-
children will live under communism. I do not say that we shall
destroy capitalism by means of war. No, I have never said this and
never will. I said that the development of human society leads to
a progressive regime winning over an obsolete regime. Therefore,
capitalism, having played out its positive part, has grown old, and
socialism and communism are coming to take its place.
It is thus not we communists in the Soviet Union or communists in
other socialist countries, not communists in capitalist countries,
but the peoples in each country who will choose for themselves the
system under which they will live better. We are convinced that
sooner or later all the people on earth will choose and give their
preference to the socialist system; and communists, as the most ad-
vanced detachment of the working class, are leading and pointing the
way for the movement of the working class and all working people.
This is quite a different thing, and it is in essence diametrically
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opposed to the statements of some brash orators in the United States
who are gathering themselves for a campaign for the destruction of
communism.
(Khrushchev letter to Frime Minister Macmillan, 4 August 1960)
Asked if he still wanted to bury the American people, Khrushchev
said: "I never said any such rubbish as that. Only a madman could
get such an idea. The people will live forever and develop."
(Radio Moscow report on Khrushchev's "spontaneous" press conference
on the balcony of the house of the Soviet U.N. delegation in
New York, 22 September 1960)
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III. SOME KHRUSHCHEV FORECASTS OF THE BURIAL OF CAPITALISM
The actual correlation of forces is such that the militarists and
monopolists should think, and think twice, before launching a war.
We are convinced that if war breaks out--and it can be started only
by the imperialist countries, since none of the socialist countries
wants war--capitalism will be defeated and this will be the last
ordeal inflicted upon humanity by the capitalist world,. because
capitalism will be ned once and for all.
(Interview with Henry Shapiro of UP, 14 November 1957)
The process of historic development is inexorable. It cannot be
stopped by any reactionary forces. Should they try to do so by
force of arms and unleash war, they will dig their graves with their
own hands. The peoples will no longer tolerate a regime which gives
birth to wars and brings to mankind torment and suffering.
(Speech at Supreme Soviet session, 21 December 1957)
The capitalists try to establish the lowest possible pay for labor
and to extract higher profits by intensifying exploitation of the
working people. The working class, on the other hand, desires to
improve its living conditions and receive more for its labor and,
through class struggle, to throw off the cruel yoke of exploitation,
.the yoke of capitalist wage slavery.
Marx and Engels proved, on the basis of profound scientific analysis,
that the collapse of capitalism and the victory of socialism, which
would replace it, were inevitable, and they advanced and substantiated
the world-historic role of the proletariat as the gravedigger of
capitalism and the creator of a communist society, a society without
classes, without exploitation and oppression.
(Report to the CPSU Central Committee plenum, 6 May 1956)
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Marx discovered the law of the development of society and proved on
the basis of a profound study of the course of development of
capitalist production that capitalism digs its own grave because it
restrains the development of productive forces, gives birth to
crises and poverty; because under the capitalist production system
the riches are concentrated in the hands of a small group of ex-
ploiters, while millions of working people, who create those riches,
remain beggars and are deprived of any rights.
(Speech in Ryaaan Oblast, 13 February 1959)
Several madmen in the imperialists' camp are threatening the world
with their atomic and hydrogen bombs and with force. So what? By
their reckless policy, they are bringing nearer the end, of the
capitalist world, the time when mankind will be able to bury capitalism
more deeply.
(Speech in Vlore, Albania, 31 May 1959)
The imperialists hate the socialist system. They hate the Marxist-
Leninist doctrine. That is a matter of their personal convictions,
but not a reason for starting a war. We do not have any sympathy
for the capitalist system either, but we do not want to force our
system on other countries by means of arms. Let capitalism end its
life like an old horse, which becomes senile and finally stretches
its legs, whereupon its owner throws it down the slope. The more
imperialism displays its irreconcilable contradictions, which lead
to peoples' misery and to war, the more quickly it reveals itself
and shows its ulcers, the more quickly will this arouse the wrath and
hatred of the peoples living in imperialist countries. By exacerbat-
ing the international atmosphere and creating all kinds of crises
and phenomena dangerous to the cause of peace, imperialism arouses
the wrath of the people and digsits own grave.
(Speech at Supreme Soviet session, 5 May 1960)
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Robert Cass;, of 1411 21 (O* Neider?) Bouievav~d, Oa< Park 37,
Michigan, asks.- "Abe 14 .kita Khrushchev ever said; sWe will bury
yoit?' If so, when and where did he say this? Why did he say it?
What did he mean by this remark?"
Joe Adamrcv replies : When Mr. Khrushchev was in the t cited States
in 1959, at the National Prose Club on 16 September he was asked
the same thing. The question was : "You told a diplomat at a
reception that you would bury us. If you didn't say it, you
could deny it, and if you did say it, could you please explain
what you meant?"
Mr,, Khrushchev answered: "I did speak about it, but my statement
has been deliberately misconstrued." Then Mr. Khrushchev went on
to say that the social system changes as society develops. There
was the feudal system; it was superseded by capitalism, he said Every
system gives birth to its successor. Capitalism, as Marx, Engels,
and Lenin proved, will be succeeded by communist. We believe
in that. Many of you do not. At the reception concerned I said:
"In the course of historical progress and in the historical
sense, capitalism would be buried and communism would come to
replace capitalism. You will say that this is out of the ques-
tion, but then the feudal lords burnt at the stake those who
fought against feudalism, and still capitalism won out."
That is what Mr. Khrushchev said, and he went on: "I am con-
vinced that the winner will be communism, a social system which
creates better conditions for the development of a country's
productive forces, enables every individual to prove his worth,
and guarantees complete freedom in society, for every member of
society."
You see, Mr. Cass, you should not take the word "bury" literally.
We say that the steamship buried the sailing vessel or the automobile
buried the horse and carriage. Very often in political literature
you will read that the working class is the grave digger of
capitalism. So you see, this word is used not in its direct sense,
and don't for a moment think that anybody from the USSR or anybody
else is going to come to invade you or to bury you. Socialism and
communism will come to this or that country when the conditions are
ripe for it there, when the majority of the people in this or that
country want socialism; and when socialism does come to this or that
country it will be due to the doing of its own people. It cannot
be foisted on any country from outside; in other words, a revolution
cannot be exported.
(Radio Moscow "Moscow Mailbag" feature, in English to North America,
15 April 1962)
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Cowles: Mr. Chairman, I would like to ra-:a3.1 now an incident from
the past. I want -to r r.a.ll it bscause I think that she language
barrier bet;:-,.en us ssomat-in s raises certain difficulties. You
T
once said some?ihinC the:'_ was translated into English as "We shall
bury you," In Amor%ca, these words were taken as a military
threat, i should Like to ask you, therefore, what you meant by
saying "W~ shah. bury you."
Khm-.shchav: I think that people who translate statement: from
one 12nguaga into another, and especially those who disseminate
and interpret them, should always do this with scrupulous
honesty. What you speak of happened because some unscrupulous
people deliberately twisted a phrase of mine, a ve-y clear state-
men4 that capitalism will be buried in the course of the h ,stovic
dsv. i.opment of mankind, that it will be i.nev'it?ah1v superseded. by
communism. In claiming this, I had in mind that soci..ety develops
according to definite laws. It is changing all th?s time, the
old dies off and the new emerges and develops, America was at
one time a colony of Britain, but the American people finally
rose up in arms and freed themselves of oppress.-Lan by Britain,
The American people, one might say buried Britain as the colonizer
of the U. S. and achieved independence.
There was a time when the feudal system reigned in the majority
of the countries in the world. In its time, when this system was
just coming into being, it was more progressive than the slave
system. Condi.tiors more conducive to the development of the produc-
tive forces of society were gradually developing within the feudal
system. The time came when feudalism outlived itself: A moxe
progressive system, capitalism, was born within it. Cep5.ta.lism
buried, inter'e.d feudalism. True, feudal relations still exist
in a nttmbe'r of countries, but in general it can be said that
feudalism as a system has been buried, interred, and the countries
which were the first to begin to "bury" that system gained in
their economic development. Russia, which lingered longer in the
stage of the landlord-feudal system, lagged in the development of
its economy compared with the other Western countries.
But capitalism engendered irreconcilable contradictions.; and a new,
progressive social system, communism, with entirely different social
relations between people than under capitalism, has appeared to
replace it. We are convinced that communism will win, as it pro-
vides better condition's for the development of the productive forces
of society, provides the conditions for the fullest and most harmonious
development of the society in general and for every individual in
particular. Capitalism fights against communism, but it is impossible
to arrest the process of the development of mFnkind, Sooner or
later communism will win everywhere in the world, and, consequently,
communism will bury capitalism.
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This is hr my st :te':nrn should be uncle:^stood, It is not a ques-
tion of Ot:jn'etxle 1ng sorea e physically, but of a change in the
scr.ial system in ti'!:; course of the historic development of society.
Wben we say that communism will bury capitalism, this does not mean,
of n.ursA, that the Soviet people, the communists of the Soviet
tlt1:%uZ, w:,. ll in-+:c?:, cc.pite,.Li sts of this or that country, No,
communism is winning in the Soviet Union, and many other countries
are now following the road of communist development. Communism
In gr. owaixlg of tho dedicated labor and struggle of the peoples
of the s ccia last countries for a new, better, the mrio;i: just creative
life on earth. Such is the teaching of life, of history.- a more
progr? ,sine social system inevitably comes to re,~ ; aoY a system which
is oiitlivir.g itself, a progressive system buries a mo~~ibu` c'one.
This is how we regard the historic, process of the d~=; :l nvn'i of
society, I have spoken of this more than once. I spoke of this
in the United States, too, when I visited your countr.'r. We do
not impose our communist convictions by force on nyhr,,dy. . We believe
that in America, too, mighty forces will grow--?t rev al..veady exist
there and are growing and developing all the time. 1 ,ase progres-
sive forces which are arcwing within the American peopla itself
will u l;:imately win. In place of capitalism, which rein,..Is in
America today, the American people will themselves establish a new
social system, and this system will be communism. Thus, it can
be said that one system, asserting itself, buries ai;oather system,
which is outliving itself. It is not that one peopla buries a part
of another. This would be monstrous; this would mean war between
states. The question of the victory of one social eystein over
another is one of class struggle. It is a new class which is
developing and gaining in strength now-the working class, the
people themselves --that will, properly speaking, reign in the world,
including the United States....
In coma, we can oomp~_te successfully with you, and even beat you,
perhaps. I use the word "beat" in the sense of winning the
competition, lest you say again that we want to beat you in the
sense of "bury" you. See how careful I am in my choice of words.
(Interview with Gardner Cowles, 20 April 1962)
The other question you brought up is the strruggle of the various
classes within a capitalist country. This struggle, which has
been in existence since the birth of capitalism, will continue in
the future, too. The internal contradictions will even increase.
Therefore we say that one day capitalism wil b de -e,,y~ . We do
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existing caDitalIs'i st i~'t;3e h1:7TN''c:v r, one (:ay the 6:R"..^:C ng class
will be v'!.G':of-ious in ov ,'y inrilvidual caj .talist ct'?t..ntr+yr.
your stattvn:ynt th v a .o'eg last capitalism will over the
succeu,sZ.i,l im%,thoss of t ho socialist system appLiez to soma extent.
Howecro.o., you must na; forget that the other sidle of the capitalist
soci.::ty, ' xarnaly the wo7':.ing crass p' will also take over everything
worth ?Ule in uam~n~a::ii.sm. When I spoke in New York before
At eri ce:i managers , I was shouted down because t