 In 1960 Podgorny became a member of the Politburo ( Political Bureau ) and by 1963 had risen to prominence within the Soviet hierarchy as a member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union ( CPSU ) . As a protégé and close companion of Nikita Khrushchev , he travelled with him to United Nations headquarters in 1960 . He acted as a Soviet emissary to Czechoslovakia , East Germany , Canada , and Yugoslavia . Podgorny 's beliefs were strongly influenced by Khrushchev , and under Leonid Brezhnev 's rule , Podgorny was one of the most liberal members within the Soviet leadership , even more liberal than Premier Alexei Kosygin . 
