Brezhnev Leonid Ilyich was humane and soft. No wonder the time when he ruled the USSR was called the "thaw." He became famous for eyebrows, orders and medals. But most famous for the world famous Brezhnev kiss. The leader of the USSR loved to kiss. And not only with women. This “honor" from the Secretary-General was also awarded to the most senior representatives of other powers. Indeed, given the status of Brezhnev, practically no one was able to dodge.
The famous kiss of Brezhnev
He consisted of the following: the leader of the USSR made a “sacrifice” in his strong arms and kissed first on the left cheek, then on the right, and finally on the lips. Hence the famous name "Triple Brezhnev."
Where the famous Brezhnev kiss originates from is not known for certain. But there is an assumption that the blame for everything is the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who in 1968 first arrived in the Soviet Union and quickly gained the confidence of Leonid Ilyich. The fact is that triple kissing is an Arab tradition, according to which this gesture means mutual trust and disposition towards a person.
A few facts about the famous kiss
- Dangerous. During a kiss with the leader of Yugoslavia, Josip Broz, Tito Brezhnev accidentally tore his lip.
- The only American president to be so honored was Jimmy Carter.
- The most famous and shocking is the kiss of Brezhnev and Honecker. This happened in 1971, when the head of the GDR, Eric Honecker, came to the USSR. In a sign of peace, unity, friendship of peoples , Brezhnev gave him a kiss. The photo of the “brotherly kiss” was even redrawn by the talented Russian artist Vrubel on the Berlin Wall.
- “Triple Brezhnev” made famous the previously inconspicuous young American choreography teacher Annie Hallman, who, together with the US delegation, arrived in the USSR in 1973. After the heartfelt speech of the Soviet leader, the girl approached him to deliver flowers, and ... received the famous Brezhnev kiss with his inherent dedication and passion!
- The photo, which depicts a passionate kiss of Leonid Ilyich and Indira Gandhi, takes pride of place in her apartments, converted into a museum.
Those whom the Soviet leader kissed are quite difficult to count, much easier - those who were able to tactfully evade.
Failed Triple Brezhnev
- Margaret Thatcher . In 1971, the stiff Englishwoman and the “Iron Lady” were able to promptly and tactfully dodge the passionate embrace of the Soviet leader.
- Fidel Castro . In 1974, the Cuban leader first flew to the USSR. He already knew in advance about the addictions of Leonid Ilyich to kiss everyone at a meeting, and also knew that if he allowed this, he would be ridiculed in his own country. Therefore, Fidel, to avoid shame, went down the ramp with a huge smoking cigar in his mouth.
- Nicolae Ceausescu . The Romanian leader was the only one who directly refused to kiss the secretary general, as he was a very squeamish person.
And by the way, scientists have proved that kisses are very good for health. And, apparently, Leonid Brezhnev knew about this even then. So kiss on health!