Sept. 23, 1959: Khrushchev tours an Iowa farm

It’s odd to think now that the premiere of the Soviet Union would go out of his way to see an Iowa farm during the height of the Cold War, but Nikita Khrushchev did just that in 1959. He’d been invited by Roswell “Bob” Garst, an expert in developing hybrid corn varieties who also hoped to be a goodwill ambassador between the two countries.

Khrushchev, a big advocate of farming in his home country, had been impressed by the researcher-farmer’s good-humored honesty when Garst demonstrated farming techniques in the Soviet Union. So he accepted Garst’s invitation to visit his farm near Coon Rapids, Iowa (about 70 miles northwest of Des Moines), one of many he visited during a tour of the U.S.

During his Midwest jaunt, Khrushchev praised the quality of Iowa corn, while Garst good-naturedly joked with him about foreign affairs. The U.S. Ambassador to Russia later said it was one of the most significant parts of Khrushchev’s American trip.

Anyone can walk in Khrushchev’s steps now at Garst’s farm, preserved as the Roswell and Elizabeth Garst Farmstead Historic District and the headquarters of the nonprofit Whiterock Conservancy land trust. Now a low-key, recreation-focused resort, the farm site is centered around cycling, hiking, fishing and paddling.

The site also pays homage to the Garst family, whose farm demonstrated American innovation in efficient farming — as well as the possibility of camaraderie between unlikely friends, even during tense times.