Nikolai Viktorovich Podgorny (Russian: Никола́й Ви́кторович Подго́рный, Ukrainian: Микола Вікторович Підгорний) (February 18 [O.S. February 5] 1903–January 12, 1983) was the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR from 1965 to 1977.
An engineer, trained at the Technological Institute of the Food Industry in Kiev, he became deputy commissar of the Ukrainian food industry before becoming a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1950. He was elected a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1956 and of its Presidium (later known as the Politburo) in 1960.
In 1965 he became chairman of the presidium of the Supreme Soviet, or chief of state, succeeding Anastas Mikoyan. Podgorny was relieved of his chairmanship and removed from the politburo during a 1977 power struggle with Leonid Brezhnev.
In 1967, he delivered an intelligence report to Egyptian Vice President Anwar Sadat that claimed, falsely, that Israeli troops were massing along the Syrian border, just before the out break of the Six-Day War.
The same year, he engaged in a dialogue with Pope Paul VI as part of the pontiff's ostpolitik, which resulted in greater openness for the Roman Catholic Church in Eastern Europe. [1]
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Anastas Mikoyan |
Chairman of the
Presidium of the Supreme Soviet 1965–1977 |
Succeeded by Leonid Brezhnev |
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  | Paul VI invites Communist Podgorny to the Vatican - Paul VI invites Communist Podgorny to the Vatican @ TraditionInAction.org |
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