Word: mcneil
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...Russians showed once more that they like a man who stands up to them. As they had sat down at the conference table that day, Molotov had asked McNeil through an interpreter if he was prepared for a long session. "There are two things we Scots have in common with you Russians," McNeil replied. "We get better as the night grows longer, and we like to drink with our chess...
After the long meeting (ten hours) had been adjourned, and after McNeil's strong talk, Molotov sent his interpreter to ask McNeil: "Are you going to drink with your chess now?" "No," said McNeil, "just drink...
...Almost Appalling." If McNeil did have a nightcap after that session, it was likely his native Scotch, with two dashes of water and no ice. As for chess, he says in Who's Who that it and "intelligent argument" are his favorite hobbies...
...when Molotov was a veteran member of Russia's Politburo, McNeil was at Glasgow University, trying to make up his mind whether he was headed for the Scottish Presbyterian ministry or for politics. (In Scotland, up to a point, training for either is training for both.) His father, a shipwright, died that year, and his firm gave McNeil's mother a pension of ?26 a year ($125). "That," says McNeil, "was when I turned to Socialism...
...McNeil won a seat in Parliament after two unsuccessful tries. Ernie Bevin, an authority in plain speaking, recognized McNeil's quality, appointed him Under Secretary. At Paris as stand-in for the ailing Bevin, McNeil may have somewhat overplayed his act as a simple country boy among the slick diplomatic professionals. He professed ignorance so often that Russia's Vishinsky last week cracked: "Perhaps Mr. McNeil is right about himself...