We found out we could talk to them if there wasn't somebody around, that
they'd talk to you [unknown] . In fact, when we'd come out
of a shopping center maybe, and be on the street a minute or two, in a
few minutes somebody would come around you and gradually the crowd would
gather more, and somebody spoke a little English and they wanted to talk
to you. We had been briefed by the State Department, before we went
over, not to say anything derogatory about Russia.
I had a right funny experience. I was with a friend from Greensboro,
Louise Smith. And we were travelling together on a University of North
Carolina tour. And our little group, about 10 of us, got separated from
the bigger group. Our guide was with us there and well, we finally got
back together. We had just gotten there, we knew no Russian, we had no
money (we had nothing but American money; we hadn't had
Page 21 time to change money). You know, the guide was demoted from
his job. He was put in charge of the luggage. We had to have a different
guide from that time.
Another rather interesting experience there was when Louise and I were
getting ready to leave. I got ready to go to breakfast, we were going to
leave right afterwards. And you'd put your baggage outside your room,
and I told her that if I'd left anything, please just put it in hers
because I wouldn't get back. And they had warned you not to pick up
anything—not to take ashtrays, not to take towels, not to take
anything—that that would get the whole tour in trouble if you did, that
they thought that was stealing, not souvenier collecting. So when I saw
her later, I said, "Louise, I didn't leave anything, did I?" She said,
"Yes, but I put it in my bag." I said, "What in the world?" She said,
"This whisk broom." I said, "Goodness gracious. That's not my whisk
broom! Get rid of it as quick as you can!"
[laughter] Which we immediately did.