ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (January 5) – For the first time in history, the sons of two former cold war icons will come together to discuss the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Cold War in general as the Florida International Museum officially launches a permanent collection of Cuban Missile Crisis artifacts. Dr. Sergei Khrushchev, son of former Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev, who is now an American citizen, will discuss these topics with Francis Gary Powers, Jr., son of the American U-2 pilot who was shot down over the Soviet Union in 1960 and held prisoner there until 1962. Paul Tash, editor and president of the award-winning St. Petersburg Times will moderate this historical discussion.

The event takes place at 6 p.m. in the Vinoy Grand Ballroom on Tuesday, January 23, 2001 at the Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, 501 Fifth Avenue Northeast, in St. Petersburg. Dr. Khrushchev will present items that were owned by his father and will honor the museum by loaning these items for the exhibition The Cuban Missile Crisis: When the Cold War Got Hot. The exhibition opened December 15, 2000 and explores the tense events of October 1962 and recreates what America was like at the time of this nuclear war threat. This special event is sponsored by Florida Power Corporation, is open to the public and includes dinner. Tickets are $35 and may be purchased through the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce by calling (727) 821-4069.

Dr. Khrushchev is frequently a guest commentator for many television, radio and newspaper organizations in the United States and is author of more than 250 books and articles. His most recent book, Nikita Khrushchev and the Creation of a Super Power, will be available for purchase at the museum store. He will be on hand before the event on Tuesday afternoon, from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m., to sign a limited number of first edition copies of the book in the museum store.

Among the items that will be on loan from Khrushchev’s personal collection is a record album that was given to Premier Khrushchev by Fidel Castro, along with other items that have ties to President Eisenhower and Nixon. These will be on display in the Vinoy’s ballroom during the event and then will become part of a display at the museum. Dr. Khrushchev will further honor the museum by donating a set of his father’s memoirs to the museum’s permanent collection.

Francis Gary Powers, Jr. is the founder of the Cold War Museum and a lender to the museum’s Cuban Missile Crisis exhibition. While seeking a permanent home for the museum in Washington, D.C., he also conducts special "spy tours" of the capitol region. Beginning on March 23, 2001, a special exhibition based on the U-2 incident of May 1, 1960 that involved Powers’ father who was flying for the CIA, will be featured at the Florida International Museum for an entire year. Powers is the curator of this distinctive exhibition.

One of the ironies of the outcome of the Cold War is that Richard Nixon, in his 1960 acceptance speech before the Republican National Convention, said "When Mr. Khrushchev says our grandchildren will live under Communism, let us say his grandchildren will live in freedom." Rick Baker, chairman of the board of the museum, states that "it is this irony that is so intriguing." He added, "the fact that these two men’s fathers represented such opposite viewpoints on the world and today their sons are living in a world that neither father could have ever imagined. That makes this event such a historic talk."

The Florida International Museum is the permanent home of the largest private collection of Kennedy artifacts in the world. The museum’s other main attraction is its Cuban Missile Crisis exhibition that includes ten themed galleries plus large timelines on the crisis. Twenty galleries in the Kennedy exhibition include full-size re-creations of the Rose Garden, the Oval Office, and other famous scenes that include hundreds of personal items. America Through the CBS Eye, an exhibition of memorable images from the CBS Photo Archives dating from 1928 and featuring Frank Sinatra, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, and many more will be on display through Feb. 1.

For more information, please contact the museum at 1-800-777-9882 or log onto its web site at www.floridamuseum.org. The museum is an Affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

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