COLD WAR NIKITA & THE CAPITALISTS HE CALLED THEM " GENTLEMEN CAPITALISTS, 
" AND ONLY OCCASIONALLY SUGGESTED THAT ALL CAPITALISTS ARE REALLY ROBBERS 
AND CHEATS . COMMUNIST DELEGATIONS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD CROWDED 
INTO MOSCOW FOR THE 46TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATIONS OF THE BOLSHEVIK REVOLUTION 
. BUT NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV DEVOTED A TOTAL OF SEVEN HOURS TO 
A TRAVELING GROUP OF 20 TOP AMERICAN EXECUTIVES (PLUS ONE EDUCATOR) 
AS IF HE FOUND MORE CHALLENGE IN THEIR COMPANY . ON 
A EUROPEAN TOUR SPONSORED BY TIME, THE VISITORS FIRST CALLED ON 
K . AT THE KREMLIN . IN THE OVAL ROOM, WHERE 
THE SOVIET COUNCIL OF MINISTERS USUALLY MEETS, THE CALLERS SAT IN 
ROWS OF SMALL DESKS WHILE HE ANSWERED QUESTIONS FROM BEHIND A 
HUGE BARRICADE OF A TABLE . HE ASKED THEM TO DROP 
IN AT HIS ANNIVERSARY RECEPTION THE FOLLOWING DAY, AND THEY IN 
TURN ASKED HIM TO A PARTY OF THEIR OWN (HE PROMPTLY 
ACCEPTED) . THROUGHOUT, KHRUSHCHEV PUT ON ONE OF THOSE MARATHON PROPAGANDA 
PERFORMANCES AT WHICH HE IS BY TURNS HEARTY, EARTHY, FUNNY, MENACING, 
SEEMINGLY FRANK, AND TOTALLY IMPERVIOUS TO ARGUMENT . HE SOUNDED HIS 
USUAL NOTE OF RITUALISTIC OPTIMISM, VOWED THAT IN SEVEN YEARS NO 
MORE AND NO LESS RUSSIA WILL OVERTAKE THE U.S . ECONOMICALLY 
. TO HENRY R . ROBERTS, PRESIDENT OF CONNECTICUT GENERAL LIFE, 
" HE ACTED LIKE A CORPORATION PRESIDENT WHO IS IN TROUBLE 
WITH HIS BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND IS TRYING TO GET OUT 
OF HIS DILEMMA BY MAKING AGGRESSIVE AND BOASTFUL STATEMENTS . " 
MURDER AT THE WALL . APART FROM CLAIMING VICTORY IN LAST 
WEEK'S BERLIN INCIDENT AND DEPLORING THE DIFFICULTIES ON THE WHEAT DEAL 
(SEE THE NATION), KHRUSHCHEV SUGGESTED THAT RUSSIA HAD NOT REALLY GIVEN 
UP ON THE MOON RACE, AT LEAST NOT FOR THE LONG 
RUN, AND HE ALMOST TEASINGLY HINTED THAT THE SINO-SOVIET SPLIT MIGHT 
BE MENDED ONE OF THESE DAYS : " THE MORE YOU 
REJOICE ABOUT THE DIFFERENCES, THE GREATER YOUR DISAPPOINTMENT WILL BE . 
" AGAIN AND AGAIN HE MADE A PITCH FOR TRADE WITH 
THE U.S., REPEATEDLY POINTED OUT THAT THE U.S.'S ALLIES TRADE FAR 
MORE HEAVILY WITH RUSSIA THAN THE U.S . ITSELF . ACTUALLY, 
AS THESE BUSINESSMEN WELL KNEW, RUSSIA HAS FEW GOLD RESERVES TO 
PAY FOR U.S . PRODUCTS AND LITTLE IN THE WAY OF 
EXPORTABLE GOODS THAT MIGHT INTEREST THE U.S . WHEN NATIONAL CASH 
REGISTER PRESIDENT ROBERT S . OELMAN ASKED WHAT PRODUCTS RUSSIA COULD 
OFFER, KHRUSHCHEV CITED U.S . TRADE IN MACHINE TOOLS WITH WEST 
GERMANY . " IF WE HAVE MANAGED TO BUILD A ROCKET 
NO WORSE THAN ANYTHING YOU HAVE IN THE U.S., THEN I 
AM SURE WE WILL BE ABLE TO BUILD MACHINE TOOLS IN 
NO WAY INFERIOR TO ANYTHING THE WEST GERMANS CAN BUILD . 
" MOVING FROM FOREIGN TRADE TO FOREIGN RELATIONS, KHRUSHCHEV PULLED OUT 
ALL THE " PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE " CLICHES, LOST HIS APLOMB (BUT 
NOT HIS TEMPER) ONLY WHEN CHAUNCEY W . COOK, PRESIDENT OF 
GENERAL FOODS, ASKED " WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO BUILD A 
BERLIN WALL AND SHOOT PEOPLE DOWN IF THEY TRY TO GET 
OVER ? " / A STATE FRONTIER IS A STATE FRONTIER, 
" KHRUSHCHEV REPLIED . " AND EVERY STATE, WHENEVER ITS BORDERS 
ARE VIOLATED, SHOOTS THE VIOLATORS . " / NOT TO KEEP 
PEOPLE IN, WE DON'T, " SNAPPED COOK . " IN YOUR 
COUNTRY, CHILDREN ARE KILLED IN A CHURCH FOR THE SOLE REASON 
THAT THEIR COLOR IS DIFFERENT, " K . SNAPPED BACK . 
BEFORE ANYONE COULD MAKE THE OBVIOUS RETORT THAT MURDER AT THE 
WALL, UNLIKE MURDER IN BIRMINGHAM, IS AN ACT OF THE GOVERNMENT 
KHRUSHCHEV WAS OFF ON SOMETHING ELSE A NEW WAY TO CHEAT 
. LOOSENING UP AS IT PROGRESSED, THE INTERVIEW CLOSED IN AN 
EXCHANGE OF BANTER, WITH KHRUSHCHEV MAINTAINING THAT CAPITALISTS CONTROLLED THE U.S 
. GOVERNMENT . " WHO WAS MCNAMARA BEFORE HE BECAME SECRETARY 
OF DEFENSE ? " ASKED NIKITA . " HE WAS PRESIDENT 
OF FORD MOTOR, " ANSWERED G . KEITH FUNSTON, PRESIDENT OF 
THE NEW YORK STOCK EXCHANGE . " HE'S ONE OUT OF 
TEN IN THE CABINET . WHY NOT TALK ABOUT THE OTHERS 
? " / WHAT WAS THE OCCUPATION OF YOUR FORMER COMMANDER 
IN GERMANY ? " DEMANDED K . " GENERAL CLAY IS 
NOW WITH LEHMAN BROTHERS, " SAID AVCO BOARD CHAIRMAN KENDRICK R 
. WILSON JR . " HE'S AN ARMY OFFICER WHO MADE 
GOOD, " ADDED FUNSTON . KHRUSHCHEV RAISED A PIOUS EYEBROW : 
" YOU HAVE 190 MILLION PEOPLE . WHY DON'T THEY ALL 
MAKE GOOD ? CERTAINLY THEY HAVE NOT TRESPASSED AGAINST GOD . 
" TO WILSON'S ASSERTION THAT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, THROUGH THE STOCK 
MARKET, OWN MUCH OF U.S . BUSINESS, KHRUSHCHEV LAUGHED . " 
CAPITALISTS ARE VERY ASTUTE TO HAVE THOUGHT THAT UP, " HE 
SAID . " IT'S A NEW WAY TO CHEAT PEOPLE . 
" HE WENT ON TO DESCRIBE THE " PARASITIC " STATE 
OF CAPITALISM, WHERE THE COUPON CLIPPER " CAN LIVE A LIFE 
OF LUXURY, DRINKING, CAROUSING, OR CHANGING WIVES, " THEN EASED OFF 
. " I'M YOUR HOST HERE, " HE CONCLUDED, " SO 
PLEASE DON'T PUT ME IN THE POSITION OF GOING INTO EACH 
INDIVIDUAL HERE AND ASKING WHERE HE DIRECTS HIS ACTIVITIES AND SO 
FORTH, HOW MANY WIVES HE HAS . ONE OF YOUR FELLOW 
CAPITALISTS ROCKEFELLER IS LOSING IN PRESTIGE BECAUSE OF THAT . " 
A SENSE OF FRUSTRATION . NEXT DAY, THE JOVIAL MOOD CHANGED 
. AT THE TRADITIONAL RED SQUARE PARADE CELEBRATING THE ANNIVERSARY OF 
THE REVOLUTION, THE RUSSIANS DISPLAYED A SQUADRON OF FINNED, 50-FT.-LONG ROCKETS, 
WHICH THEY INSISTED WERE ANTI-MISSILE MISSILES (THE BIRDS LOOKED MORE LIKE 
BEEFED-UP VERSIONS OF THE SOVIET SA-2 ANTIAIRCRAFT MISSILE, AND WESTERN OBSERVERS 
THOUGHT THAT AT MOST THEY COULD BE THE EQUIVALENT OF THE 
U.S . ARMY'S NIKE ZEUS) . AT THE KREMLIN RECEPTION LATER, 
KHRUSHCHEV'S TOASTS WERE SO HEARTILY ANTI-WESTERN THAT U.S . AMBASSADOR FOY 
KOHLER FINALLY ASKED : " WHERE IS THE SPIRIT OF MOSCOW 
? I HAVEN'T HEARD ANY TOASTS I COULD DRINK TO . 
" BUT THAT EVENING, WALKING INTO THE BUSINESSMEN'S RECEPTION AT THE 
HOTEL SOVIETSKAYA (WHICH HAD BEEN REFURBISHED AND RESTAFFED FOR THE VISITORS), 
HE AGAIN WAS AT HIS MOST AMIABLE . SITTING AT A 
TABLE, OBLIVIOUS TO THE MASSED DIPLOMATS AND NEWSMEN WHO WERE CROWDING 
IN TO LISTEN, KHRUSHCHEV SIPPED " THREE-STAR " ARMENIAN BRANDY AS, 
ONE BY ONE, THE AMERICANS WERE GUIDED OVER TO TALK TO 
HIM . LIKE THE MASTER POLITICIAN HE IS, K . REMEMBERED 
NAMES, FACES AND BUSINESS SPECIALTIES FROM THE DAY BEFORE, EVEN TOLD 
A PRETTY SECRETARY : " YOU WORE A BROWN DRESS YESTERDAY 
. " HE JOKINGLY HIT UP RUDOLPH PETERSON, PRESIDENT OF CALIFORNIA'S 
BANK OF AMERICA, FOR A $10 BILLION LOAN, WITH EUGENE BEESLEY, 
PRESIDENT OF ELI LILLY & CO., KHRUSHCHEV CONTINUED A DISCUSSION OF 
POSSIBLE U.S.-SOVIET EXCHANGES IN MEDICAL RESEARCH, AND WHEN HE WAS REMINDED 
THAT A TEAM OF FOUR U.S . DOCTORS IS IN RUSSIA 
NOW DOING JUST THAT, NIKITA NODDED . " GOOD, " HE 
SAID, " AND LET'S GIVE THEM A LAXATIVE IF THEY DO 
BADLY . " HE EAGERLY DISCUSSED FOOD-PROCESSING TECHNIQUES WITH GENERAL FOODS' 
COOK, MAGNETO-HYDRODYNAMICS WITH AVCO'S WILSON, AND LIQUOR WITH SEAGRAM'S EDGAR M 
. BRONFMAN ( " OUR VODKA IS BETTER THAN YOUR VODKA 
" ) . WHEN STOCK EXCHANGE PRESIDENT FUNSTON TURNED UP AT 
THE TABLE, NIKITA KHRUSHCHEV CHANTED, IN ENGLISH : " WALL STREET 
! WALL STREET ! " HE SEEMED TO REGARD THE BUSINESSMEN 
AS DOERS LIKE HIMSELF, AND ONCE TOOK A LEFT-HANDED DIG AT 
COMMUNIST INEFFICIENCY : " CAPITALISTS KNOW WHAT IS PROFITABLE ; CAPITALISTS 
ARE NOT SOVIET BUREAUCRATS . " OFTEN KHRUSHCHEV RETURNED TO HIS 
THEME OF TRADE : " REMEMBER, PLEASE, THAT YOU CAN ALWAYS 
MAKE A PROFIT DEALING WITH US . " BUT THE QUESTION 
REMAINED : A PROFIT FOR WHOM ? WALL STREET'S FUNSTON, FOR 
ONE, CONCLUDED THAT THE U.S . SHOULD NOT TRADE WITH RUSSIA, 
SHOULD DO NOTHING TO MAKE LIFE EASIER FOR THEM . SAID 
HE, IN WEST BERLIN : " I WENT AWAY WITH A 
SENSE OF FRUSTRATION . HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH PEOPLE WHO 
LIE TO YOU AND TO WHOM FACTS MEAN NOTHING . 