“I was part of an event where Gorbachev was due to speak. This was in the days when Raisa, his wife, was still alive. They were, you will remember, devoted to each other. He was sitting next to her at a table. It was a very high-powered meeting.

“When it was his turn to speak, he rose, looking a little tense. But Raisa touched his hand. He looked down at her; she said something to him. He seemed to relax, smiled and went over to the lectern. I couldn’t resist sidling over to his interpreter and asking what she had said. “She said ‘You will be fine. It will be OK’,” he said.

“This man had changed the course of history, had faced down some of the most reactionary power bases in the world, had put in motion forces that had led to the Berlin wall tumbling. Outside Russia he is recognized as a world statesman of great bravery and stature. Yet he was nervous about talking to this gathering of people in a room. It was a nice reminder that brave leaders aren’t fearless; they just conquer that fear; in this case, with a little help.”

Labels: Carayol, Gorbachev, Powell, stories

posted by Phil Dourado  # 9:15 AM