I am completely unconvinced this is genuine Peter. I have had a quick search on the internet and none of the claimed sources currently exist. Some claim it was said at a seminar in Turkey, others in the course of a radio interview. In what language was Gorbachev speaking? And how many languages was it translated into before English?

Even though it is written in the first person it is at best third or fourth hand reporting of an informal conversation. The sources are so obscure and untraceable, much more likely this simply never happened.

It doesn't in any way actually sound like Gorbachev's use of language and is completely or largely inconsistent with all of his other published written and spoken works and comments.

I accept I think either Jeremy or Francis point that Gorbachev was a politician and like any other will seek to retrospectively spin or even rewrite history to show himself in the best possible light. This hardly does that.

Sorry, Peter, I don't buy this at all! It sounds like straight out of the "anti revisionists" urban myth factory! Its a gift to the Brars of this world!

Say for an instance it was said and reported accurately and that what Gorbachev was saying was true. What does this say about the Gromykos, the Andropovs (head of the KGB!) etc , who identified Gorbachev as a talent for promotion? That they were 1 unable to spot a charlatan communist among their midst and 2 or someone who had active secret plans to destroy the Soviet Union? Or perhaps they were part of the conspiracy?!