Word: raisa
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Attractive, cultured and correctly attuned ideologically, Raisa Gorbachev was the model of the modern Soviet woman and an asset to her husband as he entertained Moscow dignitaries vacationing in the spas near Stavropol. Among them was Yuri Andropov, then chief of the KGB, who eventually became Mikhail's mentor. In 1978 Mikhail Gorbachev was promoted to Party Secretary for Agriculture, and the couple finally returned to Moscow. By 1985 Mikhail was General Secretary of the party and the leader of the Soviet Union. Spotting a photograph of Andropov in Washington last year, Raisa said, "We owe everything...
...initial trip abroad as First Lady, Raisa jokingly said to Danielle Mitterrand, wife of the French President, "Give me some advice. I'm a beginner at this job." She learned fast, and quickly became a hit in the West. In Washington, accompanied by Van Cliburn on the piano, she and her husband made White House guests smile by leading the Soviet delegation in a rendition of a sentimental Russian favorite, Moscow Nights...
...Raisa's fashion tastes have received mixed reviews. Parisian critics, for example, have described her as "elegant but not chic." In fact, she appears to avoid flashy clothes. Much of her wardrobe is prepared by a team of designers led by Tamara Mokeyeva of the "experimental" atelier at the Dom Modeli in Moscow. Soviet clothing factories depend on the shop's designs to keep track of what's hot and what's not. But the cuts and colors remain conservative. According to one report, Mokeyeva has only praise for her First Lady: "She has natural charm. This is not something...
...West, Raisa has earned high marks for her breadth of knowledge. At a private party given by Washington Hostess Pamela Harriman, the widow of Averell Harriman, who was U.S. Ambassador in Moscow from 1943 to 1946, Raisa discussed the U.S. Supreme Court with Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and brought up the inner workings of Congress with Senators Barbara Mikulski and Nancy Kassebaum. However, Mikulski later said that "Mrs. Gorbachev is like an East European professor who speaks in paragraphs. There is no free exchange with...
...same trait was observed in early May by Arthur Mitchell, director of the Dance Theater of Harlem, during the company's Moscow tour. "She's charming, articulate and bright," said Mitchell after a 20-minute backstage chat with Raisa. "But you know when she asks a question that she has an opinion of her own and wants to see if you agree with...