Kitchen Debate

Well, on one level, it was the culture war part of the Cold War, which is we have a better life here.

If you look at the transcripts, for example, of the Kitchen Debate, that famous encounter between Vice President Nixon and Premier Khrushchev in Moscow around the display of the American exhibition.

The kitchen debate is, I think, one of the most fascinating events of the Cold War era.

I mean, Richard Nixon and Nikolai Khrushchev debating each other in a model kitchen in Moscow? Yeah, it's a strange image.

So let's explain this kitchen debate.

So in the summer of 1959, the American National Exhibition took place in Moscow.

American art, fashion, cars, model homes, and futuristic kitchens, all of it was on display.

He has a debate with Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev in an exhibition kitchen in the late '50s.

It's called the Kitchen Debate.

It's not a formal debate exactly.

There's no moderator or anything.

In fact, throughout the original Cold War, there were many examples of times when US and Soviet officials met for high-level diplomatic talks.

One famous example was back in July 1959, when then US Vice President Richard Nixon traveled to Moscow and met with the Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, and famously, they were photographed having a talk, a friendly debate, in what was known as the Kitchen Debate.

And then just a few months later, in September 1959, the Soviet Premier Khrushchev was invited to Washington, and he met at the White House with US President Dwight Eisenhower.

So just because there was a Cold War being waged didn't mean that US and Soviet officials never met.