He held up his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “Perhaps some distrust does still remain between us due to historic circumstances. Here, today, we have an opportunity to eliminate it.”
The Soviet translators relayed all this to their individual masters. There was silence for several minutes. Khrushchev talked in a low voice to Stalin for a few moments, then a little longer with Molotov.
It was Molotov who replied. “We have heard with great interest what you have said. We respect and accept much of this, and realise that it was the previous Nazi regime that had evil intentions towards the Soviet Union”. No mention of the Soviet purges, of course! Or Soviet evil intention towards Germany, Poland, and the rest of the world!
“Comrade Stalin would like to know if you have any specific proposals that could further enhance the good relations that exist between our two countries?”
‘It was you that asked for this summit, not us’, thought von Brauchitsch. ‘You have something on your devious collective communist minds. Why not spit it out’.
Despite these thoughts he replied diplomatically. “After the Great War, the victorious powers imposed arms limitations on Germany, and among themselves. This followed a rather naïve initiative by the Americans to reduce national armaments to the lowest point consistent with national security. Much later, it was realised that there was perhaps nothing altruistic about the United States drive for arms limitations. They had their own agenda.
In any case, nothing was accomplished.
There is no doubt that the cost of defence is a huge burden on any country, no matter how prosperous. The concept of an arms limitation agreement is attractive for that reason alone. Perhaps it is something the Soviet Union has considered?”
He wanted the bloody obtuse Russians to know that the Germans knew that is what they were looking for from this summit meeting.
Again it was Molotov who acted as spokesman. “Perhaps such an idea could be examined. I think a problem could be verification of any agreed limitations. Especially if two countries distrust each other.” He smiled. It was a heavy Soviet attempt at humour.
The Germans honoured him with some genuine chuckles. Perhaps this was the ice breaker?
For the next hour the two sides fenced verbally, neither wanted to appear to be a supplicant, even though both understood it was the Soviet Union that had engineered this summit for this very purpose.
Finally enough had been said. Molotov graciously thanked the Germans for meeting with them. The summit meeting had been extremely useful. There was much to think about and they would communicate further in the near future.
On behalf of the Germans, von Altendorf said much the same. The summit was over.
The Germans had agreed not to talk business under any circumstances inside their living quarters in case the Turks had cheekily planted any listening devices. It was considered relatively safe to talk in the gardens surrounding the palace, but they should restrict any whispered conversation to the bare necessities and nothing important. They would only relax and talk freely when they were on their Starflight airliner in the morning, on the way back to Berlin.
The night was not warm but the air inside was stale, and the blasted ceiling fan had stopped working. Von Brauchitsch found it impossible to sleep. He had tossed and turned for an hour before giving up. He wanted some fresh air. Without switching on the bedroom light, he got out of bed, put on his dressing gown, and went outside into the cold air of the garden. He was dutifully followed by one his paratrooper guards.
Von brauchitsch was a non-smoker. Now, sitting on one the benches on this still and clear night, looking up at the myriad stars above him, he thought that perhaps he understood why people such as Winston Churchill found a cigar so relaxing. It was all so peaceful!
He was lost in thought, replaying today’s meeting in his mind. He couldn’t help feeling that he was missing something. Von Altendorf also had similar thoughts. Before the meeting had finished earlier, the Foreign Minister had passed a slip of paper to him on which he had written ‘What else are they after?’
His guard silently approached him. He whispered close to von Brauchitsch’s ear that one of the other German guards had intercepted two Russians near the German sleeping quarters. One of them claimed to be Comrade Khrushchev’s interpreter, and wished to have a private word with the Chancellor. The man was very nervous and constantly stressed the need for absolute silence and secrecy. They had both been searched and nothing dangerous had been found on them.
Von Brauchitsch, perplexed and apprehensive, agreed to see them, but kept the two guards close.
He was astonished when the stocky peasant figure of Khrushchev appeared in front of him, followed by his clearly agitated translator. He did not hesitate and immediately ordered the two guards to retire a short distant. The Russian obviously had something very important to say, and whatever it was, he had a feeling that only he should hear it.
The three of them had a hurried whispered conversation that lasted exactly seven minutes. Khrushchev handed over a paper. The Russians were very anxious to be gone before their absence was detected. They left an utterly astounded von Brauchitsch behind. Here was the missing link! He and von Altendorf had been right! There had been something else! Now he knew what it was!
It was such an explosive issue he would keep it to himself until they were on the flight home.
He slept badly that night.
They boarded the Luftwaffe Flightstar at 0900. Earlier, von Brauchitsch had casually invited von Altendorf to sit next him for the flight home. This would enable him to hold a private conversation with him, with little fear of being overheard by the other passengers.
The flight lifted off into a clear blue sky from Istanbul airport at nine twenty. Only then did von Brauchitsch find he could relax a little, and feel able to talk freely.
Von Altendorf had sensed that his friend and colleague had something on his mind. He had seemed more than a little distracted at breakfast. He now asked, “Walther, you have something troubling you?”
Von Brauchitsch looked at him with a slight frown. “I do indeed, Werner.” He made himself more comfortable in his seat before carrying on. “We both thought that the Russians had some hidden agenda for this summit meeting. I now know what it is.”
The Foreign Minister looked at him quizzically.
“Late last night I had an unexpected visitor. None other than Comrade Khrushchev.”
The surprise was evident on von Altendorf’s face. He waited for the rest of the story.
“We could only speak for a few minutes as he was extremely nervous about his absence being discovered by the rest of the Soviet delegation. He also handed me a one page letter, signed by himself, containing some secret information about Soviet weapons. This was to prove his sincerity. As you know, his life would not be worth a carrot if such a document came to Stalin’s knowledge.”
Within twenty four hours of Stalin deciding Khrushchev was an ‘enemy of the people’, Khruschev would have received a bullet in the back of his brain. His family would have suffered also. The Germans knew the huge risk the Russian had taken.
Von Brauchitsch continued. “Khrushchev is deeply concerned about the state of Stalin’s mental health. Often for no apparent reason, Stalin will declare an official within the Soviet government as ‘an enemy of the people’. In other words, someone who has fallen foul of the dictator, for real or imagined reasons. Such people then simply ‘disappear’. Khrushchev and other senior Soviet people, believe the same thing could happen to them at any time. I think that perhaps Molotov, at least, is another of those feeling imminently threatened.”