Chapter 66: Collapse of the Soviet Union (4)
Nomenklatura (Номенклату́ра).
That’s the term.
If I were to translate it most intuitively, I’d probably go with something like “Communist aristocracy.”
“Whew... This is top-grade stuff. We’ve got a very special guest today.”
As if to shatter the usual stereotype of a KGB officer, the “uncle” in front of me—dressed with disarming warmth—smiled as he looked over the pile of gold bars.
‘Well, sure. He’s a colonel, not some field agent.’
I waved off the nervous bodyguards and stepped forward with a polite smile.
“What do you think?”
The colonel nodded vigorously and burst into laughter.
“Very nice! Our capitalist friends really know their stuff!”
“Haha, exactly. Even the best gears need oil to turn, don’t they? We’re not so heartless that we’d try to do business in Moscow without showing any sincerity.”
“Mm-hmm! That’s right. Back when I was out in the field, I had to scrounge up funds for operations myself... And these days, it’s even worse. They pile the work on without even sending proper money down. Heh. Maybe it’s not something I should be saying in front of a capitalist friend, but these so-called reform policies are nothing but hot air.”