When Khrushchev Outwitted Those Who
Plotted Against Him

Outraged with the outcome of the 1963 Cuban Missile Crisis, numerous hardliners in the Kremlin began to see Premiere Khrushchev as a complete and utter noob and began plotting his overthrow:

“They pointed out that if Khrushchev were murdered the Soviet Union would be split by a political crisis even worse than the one that followed the death of Stalin. Hard-core Stalinists, moderates and liberals all would be thrown into a furious power struggle. Therefore, they voted for a bloodless coup, backed up by the guns of anti-Khrushchev military and security units. It was decided to undermine Khrushchev’s position by a propaganda campaign against him. Then political pressures would be brought to bare in hopes of forcing his retirement. If he refused to step down voluntarily, he would be arrested and held prisoner until he agreed to resign.”

– from Amazon: