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Zhukov had also said that Ike had twice invited him to visit the U.S.. and that he still dreams of doing so. Did Ike's recollection confirm that Zhukov memory? It surely did, said the President. "Now, when I asked him to visit our country, I was acting as the agent of my Government, which directed me to do so, and more than that, arrangements had been made once. My plane had been put at his disposal, and my son was detailed as his aide. And I remember he made the remark, 'Well, I shall certainly be safe,' with my plane and my son. We were good friends, and we could talk in that fashion."
But Zhukov became ill, later fell from Stalin's favor, and never made the trip. Was the invitation to Zhukov still open? Said the President: "Well, as a matter of fact, this is the first time it has been mentioned to me since I have been in my present responsible post. And you can well imagine that I wouldn't stand here and suddenly issue an invitation without consulting . . . my advisers. So I would say this would be a remarkable thing at the present state of affairs, but I certainly wouldn't hesitate to talk it over with my people if we found it desirable."