Llewellyn “Tommy” Thompson was a diplomat of the old school. He served many years in the Soviet Union where he witnessed some of the most significant events of the Cold War. He served six presidents and was a key advisor to President John F. Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Thompson was the first American to give an address on Soviet television. Gary Powers’ ill-fated U-2 high-altitude spy flight took place during Thompson’s tenure, as did the famous “kitchen debate” with Richard Nixon. He participated in Strategic Arms Limitation (SALT) negotiations under Presidents Johnson and Nixon. He also testified to the Warren Commission in regard to President Kennedy’s assassination.
Thompson was born August 24, 1904, in Las Animas, Colorado. The son of a rancher, he studied economics at the University of Colorado at Boulder. In 1928 he joined the Foreign Service. He was initially appointed to Colombo, Ceylon (currently known as Sri Lanka) and remained there until 1933 when he was reassigned to Switzerland.
In 1941, Thompson was sent to the Soviet Union as second secretary and consul. This was during the German siege of WW II when most Soviet diplomats evacuated to Russia’s eastern provinces. He remained in Moscow, which brought great respect from the Soviet officials. During this time, he became fluent in Russian.
In 1952, President Dwight D. Eisenhower appointed Thompson Ambassador and in 1957, Ambassador to the Soviet Union. While ambassador in the U.S.S.R. he developed a professional and personal relationship with Nikita Khrushchev. In 1959 he arranged Khrushchev’s U.S. visit and tour marking the first time a Soviet Premier had visited the United States.
1961 saw the building of the Berlin Wall separating Germany into East and West. Newly elected President John F. Kennedy called on Thompson for advice in dealing with the Soviets. Thompson kept a close watch on negotiations, maintaining open lines of communication to ensure neither side was misrepresented. Khrushchev was so impressed with his efforts that he proposed a toast to Thompson at a gathering of Soviet leaders.
On returning to Washington, D.C. in 1962, Thompson was awarded the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by President Kennedy –the country’s highest honor for a civilian in foreign service.
The Cuban Missile Crisis between the U.S. and Soviets began in October of 1962. It was during this time that the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. came closer to nuclear war than ever before or since. Thompson’s negotiations likely averted WW III. He served on Kennedy’s Executive Committee of the National Security Council. When the U.S. received two messages from Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev – one quite conciliatory and the other much more hawkish – it was Thompson who advised Kennedy to react to the first message. Thompson, who had a unique relationship with Khrushchev, believed the second message had probably been written with Politburo input. His belief that Khrushchev would withdraw the nuclear missiles from Cuba in exchange for the quiet removal of U.S. missiles from Turkey turned out to be true. In his book, Thirteen Days, which later became a Hollywood movie, Robert F. Kennedy wrote, “Thompson’s advice on the Russians and predictions as to what they would do were uncannily accurate and his advice and recommendations were surpassed by none.”
Thompson died of cancer February 6, 1972, and is buried in the Bent County Las Animas Cemetery. U.S. Route 50 through Las Animas was renamed Ambassador Thompson Boulevard in his honor. His two daughters published his biography, The Kremlinologist, in 2018. An exhibit honoring Ambassador Thompson is on permanent display at the John W. Rawlings Museum, in Las Animas, Colorado.