MEMORANDUM OF CONVERSATION WITH TROKHIAN.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP65-00756R000600040002-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 9, 2003
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: August 23, 2000
• Content Type: MEMO

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State Dept. declassification instructions on file
25X1 MAU seder
SUBJECTI 1OBLNDUM OF CONVERSATION wnE mammy
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I smiled at Trokbien's apartment at WOO p.m. &Ed wt. at 11800 pee,
his
When I arrived e he and/wife Anna, greeted me. The only other person
present was their 4- year old daiighter Irera. Their apartment is rented
furnished (LE 25 per month) and the furniture seemed adequate0 All the
wpholstered furniture was covered with white slip covers.
I was shown into their tiny reception room and tee asked if I liked
beer. When I said yea o two bottles of Amstel were brogght in by his wife.
Trokhien and I split one bottle and he asked me what my first rame was
He said his was *Serge". For the rest of the evening we were
Serge and to each other.
Before I could even finish Iv first glass of beer supper was announeed
and ve entered the nen edlea'ant itin4ng room. They have no servants His
wife dams all the *yin& cooking cod cleaning6
wee a eoldhallate dinner, and the table was leden with mariaus Russian
dishes as well as tame perk, eheese, pickles eta. The caviar was of a
better quality Ulan the one served at the Rui9esian Nov 7 reception. His wife
deintly went through a lot of care preparing the dinnerg for there was
even a dish of fish and red cabtage, which Serge knew I particularly enjoyed at
the Nov 7 reception. He reminded me of this.
Red and white wineg as well as vodka were also on the ?table. Serge
asked which I preferred and I replied bodka. He too drank vodka and his wife
drank white wine. Throu.ghout the entire evening we only drank 4 mail glasses
of vodka each. At no time was a drink forced upon me. He even told me that
if at any time I felt I vas getting a bit hielle I should stop drinking, for
he kusw I wasn't used to the stuff. The vodka was quite emooth, only
taming 4f 40% aleohol by volume (so it said en the Russian 3nbel).
25X1 The wet part of the eeeniug was spent on mall ehit-ehat ani light
nversation, talking about music, 1.iterature9 household problems,
msrriage? eta.
The only dire t questions that Trokhien Leaked 'snares How low did I
/lye in New Yor14 are there any other children in my fireellyi are both by
parents alive and where do they live. I answered these questions vagutely
and even lied a bit. When I in turn asked him where his wife came free
he told me that she was half 'Ukranian and half Russian - that ie 9 her nether
came from Kiev and her father from Moscow. They showed me pictures of herui
family and evidently, so she slam, she has a seveneyear old sister Ohs harse
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When I kidded him about the Bkraine fasenting ind.ee
from the Soviet Union, be get very serious and said,
Suet eft netisealist there law tried to wet up some sort
iragrordensie movement Int he watinG't tee sneeessfal*. I thought this %as
gather an enderestatemowk.
Tcbinvebmteered the information that he %ate the only ehild, He
amid he had a rather hard time of it when he wae young for his father
divorced his mother when he was two years old and there, therefore, his
zeotber had to work quite hard to support him. He said that while he worked
in the ler factory during the wttr, he also attended night cleans in an
effort to better himself. He successfully passed the competitive examine
SALM to enter Noscow,s Oriental Institute (course lasted five years) and
upon completion of the Institute, he sucessfully passed ezeminations to
enter the diplamatic mortice. He said he met his wife at the Institute
and that they were rarried when he lets 25. (He is now 28).
He seemed well briefed on the United States and on New York City
in particular. He asked me haw Weer people lived in New iteek and when I
said 7 million he said, *Oh no, it is 11 millions and seemed surprised
that I livuot know. Be also asked me haw long Broadway wee and when I said
I didnot know, he letightnely said, 'Roughly 92 kilometers". I then said
That foreigners kid kmarioans that they donut seen to know mach about Their
own? ountry and Trokhien seemed to agree.
Is then got a bit jovial and started telling me a few antecdotos. He
eadelid if I heard the one about the elephants. He said people of various
sationelitiee were asked to write a thesis about an elephant and that the
Englishman wrote on "lhe Hunting of the Elephant' the Prenchman wrote on
*The Sex Life of the Elephant*, The kmerican loot. on *The lat.:Thant ani
Commtenismn, the Pole on *The Elephant and the Po1ishQuestio0 the Gamin
banded in a five velum theme on Ain Introduction to the Histo;7 of the
Elephant" and the Roesian wet. about "The Elephant ? Bees it ist' I than
said, yes, I had heard the joke and Vat, as a natter of fat, it appeared
in the Zaertmel trEevete a few months ago. He seemed a bit deflated.
He asked me how I liked Russian caviar anzl I said that his caviar vas
much better than the one served at the November 7 reception. I then asked
why there veren,t any pictures of Ifolenkov at the reception and his only
8011011611t wee, nen have very keen eyes"o
of the to hers from the kmerican University came into Besselen
Re Then laughed and said he was quite surprised the * when tem
Legation and asked for some letrxist literature. when I asked him why The ,
fellow wanted it, he explaimed That the teacher told him that 'testate at the
were asking to be made femillar with the works of Num and Ionia? I
asked if it were a political science teacher who made the request. Re said he
didnIt know. He seemed to be very surprised when I mentioned that in the
United States we studied the works of Engels, Marx, Lenin aid Stain as a
regular part of political science. f?
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25X1 The conversation switched to lei* that we do and leaked
him what his duties were at his Legation. He said that he waked is the
Political Section mainly specializing in relations with the onintriss
adhering to the Arab Pact. He also added That the Soviet Minister, who
domerOt speak Zuglimb, takes him along to dinner apartiee and various appoint-
ments to do immolating tor him. He then asked me if I wrote reports, hast-
ingly adding Rif That information tsesn't **wet*. I said no rer work is not
secret, that I am manly eimupied with the Ambaseador and that in any spare
time / essasimally de Incite reports of a very minor stiaire.
I then asked him how his Arabia was casting *long at the Berlitz School
says he roads alai "mites Arabic quite well but cannot speak it, there-
fore Herlits). He said he sleet too setts iied with the lerlits lessons,
that they earls tee sls w. then jokingly asked him why he didzet take
25X1 usiong His ears perked up and he got quite interested. Re
mentioned that he didngt think they would allow Russians to atteed the
Ameriean SMiversity, evald time I told him if he wanted to, I could find
25X1 take lessors if it were possible. When / left their apartment at
wt. At this he t very enthusiastic and said he would like very much to
11 eels*, he again mentioned, 'Dont forget to find out about that, will
youTR Actually, I do plan to forget.
While tee were talking about music, he mentioned that some of his
Russian records should be arriving soon and that he %Maid be very happy
if I could hear them when they do arrive. I told him Is, too was expecting
acme records and that he and his wife should come to my apariment, have
diuner and listen to the aszsic. Be mumbled, *Maybe*? While talking about
American literature he talked enthusiastically about Howard /last asking if
I had heard of him litt seemed puzzled when I told him that ithst was on the
Iliett' and smiled when I explained that I meant he was an American Communist
writer. He also mentioned that he liked Paul Robeson.
In the course of previous conversation, I asked him who gold-tooth was
at the Soviet Legation? "Oh? that's my good friend Barkovski". Barkoveki's
son, Leonidas, was born about one year and 3 months ago.
It is ay personal opinion that all the questions asked me were the ones
rexcesilly asked when two people meet each other socially for the first time,
111* newer tried to pomp me he did not try to Rply me with liquor* and
throughout the entire evening he and his wife were very courteous and quite
charming., Also, their radio played all evening long, which, I am told,
precludes the possibility that our conversation was recorded.
ONMENTAit_
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