In this work, the author has sought to examine the political role of Ilya Ehrenburg in the strategy of détente pursued by Khruschchev from 1958 to 1962. The approach taken by the Soviet intellectual in support of the initiatives of his leader is put in its true perspective: a struggle between the conservatives and the liberals who, in the USSR as in the midst of the international communist movement, seek to thwart the efforts of the Soviet Party's first secretary. The opposing tactics to the latter are outlined: encouragement is shown to those who, in Moscow as among the other communist parties, subscribe to the plans of the Kremlin's chief. Finally, an attempted explanation for the failure of Ehrenburg's initiatives in favour of the policies of Khrushchev is outlined.