Zorin was born in Novocherkassk. After joining the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1922, Zorin held a Management position in a Moscow City Committee and the Central Committee of the Komsomol until 1932. In 1935, he graduated from the Communist Institute of Education (Высший коммунистический институт просвещения). In 1935-1941, Zorin worked on numerous Party assignments and as a teacher. In 1941-1944, he was employed at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Soviet Union). In 1945-1947, Zorin was the Soviet Union ambassador to Czechoslovakia. In 1948, he helped organize the 1948 Czechoslovak coup détat. In 1947-1955 and again in 1956-1965, he was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Soviet Union. At the same time, he held other positions, including that of the permanent Soviet representative at the UN Security Council in 1952-1953. In 1955-1956, Zorin was the first Soviet ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany. In 1956-1965, he again represented the Soviet Union at the UN Security Council, which led to his famous confrontation with Adlai Stevenson II on 25 October 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis.. How many years was Zorin the Soviet Union ambassador to Czechoslovakia?