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| 1966, Feb. 14 |
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| Conviction and imprisonment of Andrei Sinyavsky and Yuli Daniel for arranging the publication of anti-Soviet writings in the West. In literature and art, the Soviet authorities frowned on the extension of freedom of expression. (Neither Boris Pasternak nor Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn was able to go to Stockholm to accept his Nobel Prize for literature.) At the same time, prominent scientists, such as Andrei Sakharov and even Pyotr Kapitsa, being essential to the Soviet military effort as well as the space program, went unpunished despite their repeated pleas for greater freedom of thought and expression and improved relations with the West. | 1 |
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| March 29–April 8 |
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| The 23rd Congress of the CPSU. The Chinese Communists not only rejected an invitation to attend but also seized the occasion for delivering a new blast against Soviet policies. | 2 |
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| April 21–27 |
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| Foreign Minister Gromyko visited Italy and the Vatican. His visit led to the conclusion of an agreement for the construction of a Fiat automobile factory in Russia. | 3 |
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| June 20–July 1 |
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| French president Charles de Gaulle visited Russia. The visit resulted in an agreement on improved trade and cultural relations. | 4 |
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