A historian who reconstructed the Cold War’s hidden record
As his father's personal secretary, he recorded the Cuban negotiations, and the documents he later donated revealed that tactical nuclear weapons remained in Cuba after the missile withdrawal.
Sergo Mikoyan was a Soviet and Russian historian of Latin America and Soviet foreign policy, as well as the son of Anastas Mikoyan. His experience accompanying his father to Cuba in 1962, together with his personal records, helped reveal that Soviet tactical nuclear weapons remained on the island after the public missile withdrawal and that the negotiations deepened the rift with the Cuban leadership. As editor of the journal Latin America, he helped shape the field and later joined collaborative Soviet-American research on the Cold War.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1952Graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations
- 1956Completed postgraduate study at the same institute
- 1957–1960Academic editor of World Economy and International Relations
- 1960–1990Researcher at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations
- 1962Accompanied Anastas Mikoyan during the Cuban negotiations
- 1970–1990Editor-in-chief of the monthly journal Latin America
- 1990년대Collaborated with U.S. universities and archival projects
- 2000년대Professor at Georgetown University
Related historical events
Documenting the 1962 Cuban crisis and opening the archive
Sergo Mikoyan accompanied Anastas Mikoyan on his 1962 visit to Cuba and kept personal records concerning Soviet-Cuban negotiations. These records became evidence that Soviet tactical nuclear weapons remained in Cuba after the public climax of the missile crisis, while disputes over withdrawal and inspection continued between Moscow and Havana. Sergo later donated his personal archive to the National Security Archive at George Washington University in the United States. The documents have been used to reconstruct Soviet decision-making during the Cold War and the negotiations with the Cuban leadership. At a 2002 Havana conference marking the crisis's fortieth anniversary, he presented research on Cuban-Soviet relations. The records illuminate not only Soviet decision-making but also Cuba's exclusion from consultations and the resulting tensions between the two governments.