Gianfranco Caterina

“ The fear of Soviet communism as an ideology in Brazil would be balanced with a fascination by Soviet modernity.
This article intends to bridge the gap between recent literature that deals with Soviet cultural diplomacy and assessments on Brazil-USSR relations focused on geopolitical, economic, and strategic factors like those published in the late 1980s in a Cold War context. We argue that there is a missing link between Soviet cultural diplomacy and modernization efforts in Brazil, which had a lasting impact on bilateral relations. ”

“ The governments of Cuba and the USSR had different approaches on how to support the spread of socialism throughout the globe. Since the late 1950s, the Soviet Union had advocated the adoption of a broad leftwing front in peripheral countries to gain power in democratic fashion, while Cuba and China supported revolution. ”

“ The regional political context greatly favoured a USSR diplomatic offensive in Latin America: Gagarin concluded his historic flight on April 12th, and shortly thereafter a CIA-sponsored operation to seize power in Cuba failed miserably. In the following month, despite some tension with the Kennedy government due to Brazil’s position favouring Cuba’s right to self-determination, Quadros was able to strike an excellent economic deal with the U.S., rescheduling debts and establishing new loans in more favourable terms for Brazil. ”

“ Regarding the visit per se, the cosmonaut was warmly received in Brazil. Evidence shows a perception change amongst certain political actors about the USSR. In Rio, Gagarin was welcomed as a guest of an influential politician with no sympathy for Soviet socialism. Top military leaders did not oppose the decoration of the cosmonaut. Minister Moss even prepared and delivered the commendation with honours comparing Gagarin’s feat to Santos Dumont’s first flight. ”

“ To the Soviets, the president of the Instituto Brasileiro do Café, Sergio Frazão, voiced his desire to export a new soluble coffee brand to the USSR – named Gagarin – in honor of the cosmonaut [9] .
On July 20, Khrushchev’s letter to Quadros was published by the Brazilian press. Five days later, the president ordered the minister of Foreign Relations, Afonso Arinos, to start conversations for the reestablishment of relations with the USSR. Contacts should be initiated in Washington (Caterina 2019) [10] . On the 29th, Gagarin arrived in Brazil for a visit. ”

“ Rupprecht (2015) , however, emphasizes Soviet cultural diplomacy in Latin America and analyses the interactions between the USSR and the region’s countries after Stalin’s death in 1953. Under Khrushchev’s new leadership, a significant shift in Soviet foreign policy occurred. In 1956, the new secretary general announced that the USSR was seeking peaceful coexistence with the capitalist powers and voiced its support for the decolonization process taking place in Africa and Asia, as well as national liberation movements, including those in Latin America. ”

“ Conclusion There is an important link between the Soviet space program and the international representation of the socialist superpower after Stalin’s death, as a technologically advanced country capable of great scientific achievements. ”

“ For each of these trips, the Presidium issued “specific behaviour guidelines” and “talking points” for the cosmonauts. According to Gerovitch (2011) , the director of the Cosmonaut Training Centre, Lieutenant General Nikolai Kamanin, drafted these guidelines and, once approved by the CPSU leaders, he was also responsible for ensuring that they were obeyed [17] .
While visiting the UK in July 1961, for instance, Gagarin attended all the events accompanied by Kamanin and journalist and translator Boris Belitzky. ”

“ Brazilians’ interest in Soviet modernization would be evident during the Soviet Industrial Exhibition held in Rio de Janeiro in May 1962. Khrushchev sent a message on the occasion of the inauguration. [45] The event was the largest of its kind that the socialist superpower held throughout the year (Blasier 1989) . ”

“ In a message to the State Department, he suggested “more and better dramatization” of the U.S. technical-scientific and military achievements and the beginning of “impact projects in key areas such as the Northeast,” so as to nurture “hopes [...] for democratic (i.e., U.S.) solutions.” ”

“ O Estado de S. Paulo, August 1, 1961.
“Gagarin sábado no Rio a convite de Jânio.” Última Hora, July 27, 1961.
“Gagarin: terça-feira em S. Paulo.” O Estado de S. Paulo, July 28, 1961.
Fursenko, A., T. Naftali. One hell of a gamble: Khrushchev, Castro, and Kennedy, 1958-1964. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997.
Gerovitch, S. “The human inside a propaganda machine: the public image and professional identity of soviet cosmonauts.” In Into the cosmos: space exploration and Soviet culture, edited by J. T. Andrews, and A. A. Siddiqi, 77-106. ”

“ Rupprecht, T. “Socialist high modernity and global stagnation: a shared history of Brazil and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.” Journal of Global History 6, no. 3 (2011) : 505-28. doi: https://doi.org/10.1017/S174002281100043X
Rupprecht, T. Soviet internationalism after Stalin: interaction and exchange between the USSR and Latin America during the cold war. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015.
“Saudação de Kruchev aos visitantes da exposição soviética”. O Estado de S. Paulo, May 5, 1962, p. 5.
Singh, G. Yuri Gagarin in London and Manchester: a smile that changed the world? ”