Andrei Andreyevich Gromyko

Gromyko, Andrei Andreyevich (1909–89), Soviet politician and diplomat. In a rapid rise after Stalin's purges, he became ambassador to the United States in World War II and UN representative of the USSR after the war. Named foreign minister in 1957, he held that post until 1985, during periods of cold war, disarmament talks, détente, and incidents of Soviet military interventions in several countries. He was a member of the Politburo, the governing body of the Communist party. He became president of the USSR in 1985.

See also: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.