Page 155 - MY STORY

The Soviet paper was, by far, the best of the lot.

Surprisingly, they went into great detail on their welding
parameters, atmospheric control, weld properties, and
inspection methods. I had nothing but praise for their

work, which was real and not associated with the request
of my mysterious visitor. It made meeting these folk very
easy. When we met for dinner, a few things became

obvious.

First, they had a “handler” with them who was quiet,

observant and not involved technically with their effort
— just watchful.

Second, they were not “Russians” and “make no mistake
about that.”

They were from the former Georgia Republic, had no
love for the Russians, and presented me a pack of

cigarettes that came from their homeland to prove it.

Third, all of our technical discussion about the details of

titanium welding in the Soviet Union were obviously
overblown, overstated, overdone, and generally
ridiculous, and we all knew it.