11 May 03 My old Giovanni, following our conversation of yesterday and for the interest you have on this subject for your research, I confirm to you what Gianni Agnelli told me returning for his first encounter with Khrushchev in the Soviet Union (for the Fiat factory in Togliatti as far as I remember) and the latter took him for a visit of the Kremlin. This is where the anecdote he told me comes in: "Khrushchev made me visit the Kremlin room where the Politburo met. We were alone, the two of us, the guards stayed out the door, not stepping in. Khrushchev went to an armchair around the big conference table. An armchair like the others! He stood behind it and with the mischievous smile of a kid who did a prank, he tightened his hands together as if he was strangling someone, telling Gianni: "This is where we strangled Beria." I am relating you this absolutely truthful story - because as we talked last night, we found out Gianni made us the same confidence separately. My recall of that conversation is as clear as yours. Very affectionately yours, Benno Graziani