Four On the Road

Monday, Nov. 08, 1971

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The French learned as much last week when Brezhnev requested additional meetings with Pompidou and reopened his arguments for a Franco-Russian friendship treaty. At the Trianon, Pompidou had recalled France's long experience at dealing with Russians; Peter the Great, for instance, was an earlier guest at Versailles. Even so, the French President found himself hard put to withstand the arguments of this latest Russian visitor. Despite his reluctance to sign anything that resembled Moscow's recent treaties with India and Egypt, he found himself signing at week's end a vaguely phrased "Statement of Principles of Cooperation." Brezhnev had a political document to help him polish his image as a foreign policy expert—and Pompidou had fresh evidence that it can be difficult to say no to Moscow. 2. A Soother in Havana

Rarely had a rumor died so quickly. Early in the week, word was circulating in some Cuban communities in the U.S. that Fidel Castro was gravely ill or even dead. Within a matter of hours, however, Cuba's Premier had a tailor-made opportunity to show the world that he is still in the pink. When Soviet Premier Aleksei Kosygin flew into Havana from Toronto after a tour of Canada, Fidel was waiting to greet him with hugs and kisses on the cheek. Thirteen newsmen from non-Communist nations, including TIME'S Geoffrey Stevens, were on hand to note that Castro looked fit, decked out in his customary fatigues and with a gun on his hip.

Kosygin flew to Cuba to soothe Fidel's fears about Richard Nixon's upcoming visit to Moscow. "Castro hates summitry," a Western diplomat in Havana said. "He is always afraid that people are making deals behind his back." So, since Kosygin was right in the neighborhood at the end of his eight-day Canadian visit, he jetted down to reassure Fidel that the Moscow-Washington summit would not harm his relations with the Russians.

Open Chaika. In Canada, despite the unexpected physical attack on him by a disgruntled protester, Kosygin's stay wound up on a pleasant and occasionally jocular note. In Edmonton, the Premier allowed himself to be photographed smoking a peace pipe and wearing a headdress of the Ermineskin Indians. In Vancouver, British Columbia, Premier W.A.C. Bennett kept insisting that Canada and Russia should have closer relations until Kosygin finally smiled thinly and said: "Fine, I agree. Let's make you our 16th republic."