Turning the pages back... September 24, 1960 (09/24/06)

Turning the pages back...

September 24, 1960

With all of the world leaders converging on the United Nations Headquarters and the 61st session of the General Assembly this week, readers are reminded of a time 41 years ago when The Weekly reported the arrival of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev at the United Nations.

On Sunday, September 18, 1960, over 3,000 protesters from the Ukrainian American community and other American citizens of Eastern and Central European descent, along with several hundred American war veterans, took part in a protest parade organized by the United Ukrainian American Organizations of Greater New York, a branch of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America.

The parade was led by Walter Steck, a prominent New York attorney and major in the U.S. Air Force (Res.), Congressman Leonard Farbstein from New York's 19th Congressional District and Assemblyman Max Siegel from Albany, N.Y.

Protesters wore black arm bands, black ties or black ribbons as a sign of mourning. They carried signs from 40th Street and Fifth Avenue to 57th Street that read "Khrushchev - Hangman of Ukraine," "Khrushchev Is A Murderer," "Khrushchev Another Hitler," "Freedom for Ukraine" and "Russians Get Out of Ukraine."

The marchers, who were originally to proceed to 69th Street and Park Avenue, were ordered by police to turn onto 57th Street and to disband on Third Avenue. From there, small groups of marchers walked to the Soviet Mission headquarters on 680 Park Ave. They were greeted by over 50 overwhelmed policemen who called for reinforcements with mounted police and over 44 detectives. A block away from the Soviet Mission, the crowd was divided on Madison Avenue, with half of the crowd forced to the southwest corner and the other half toward the northeast corner. The crowd dispersed without any reported incidents.

Later that week on Tuesday, September 20, 1960, the New York branch of the UCCA organized a demonstration outside of the U.N. protesting the presence of Premier Khrushchev and Ukrainian Communist Party Secretary Nikolai Podgorny at the opening of the 15th session of the General Assembly.

Source: "Over 3,000 Ukrainians and other nationals protest Khrushchev's arrival to the United Nations," The Ukrainian Weekly, September 24, 1960.

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