1919- . Soviet diplomat, ambassador to the
USA 1962-86, emerging during the 1970s as a
warm supporter of detente. Dobrynin joined
the Soviet diplomatic service in 1941. He
served as counsellor at the Soviet embassy in
Washington DC 1952-55, assistant to the
minister for foreign affairs 1955-57,
undersecretary at the United Nations 1957-59,
and head of the USSR's American department
1959-61, before being appointed Soviet
ambassador to Washington in 1962. He remained
at this post for 25 years. Brought back to
Moscow by the new Soviet leader Mikhail
Gorbachev, he was appointed to the Communist
Party's Secretariat as head of the
International Department, before retiring in
1988.