432 The Later Years
marshal was insulated from politics as much as possible, with the excuse that
because of his age he should not be disturbed.^227
At the Tenth Congress of the LCY in 1974, Jovanka had hoped to be elected
to the CC, believing this to be her last chance to consolidate her position before
Tito’s death. She expected the support of the regime’s top men—Dolanc,
Bakarić, and Kardelj—but once they understood that Tito did not approve of
this, they were happy to let her down. When she realized at the final session of
the congress that she had been betrayed, Jovanka indulged in a bout of tears,
which the deputies interpreted as sign of joy for the umpteenth confirmation
of her husband to the presidency of the League. Later, in the hall where the
elders of the party had gathered, she raged hysterically, attacking Bakarić and
others “guilty” of causing her defeat and kicking her husband’s chair.^228 She
did not forgive her opponents any insult and tried to convince Tito how dan-
gerous they were and how urgent was the need to “liquidate” them. To calm her
down, he decided to award her the highest Yugoslav decoration, at Kardelj’s
and Bakarić’s suggestion. Afraid to be seen as similar to Ceaușescu and Mao
Zedong, who promoted their wives’ careers, he did not want to deliver it per-
sonally and delegated Bakarić to do it. Jovanka refused it and boycotted the
ceremony, which was planned for 11 December 1975, because she did not want
to make peace with the Croat politician: her hatreds were as sudden as they
were implacable.^229
The conflict between Tito and Jovanka flared up again in August 1976,
during a trip to Sri Lanka where a non-aligned summit (largely paid for by the
Yugoslavs) had been organized. When Jovanka learned that the masseuse,
Darijana, was also in Tito’s suite, she had one of her hysterical attacks. The
dispute ended with Tito slapping her. Later he tried to apologize, entrusting
her to receive foreign dignitaries who came to greet him on the Galeb at the
end of the conference.^230 Although flattered, she was not appeased. Feeling
more and more besieged, in March 1977, she sponsored the printing of a richly
illustrated book in Florence, entitled Their Days, which was meant to demon-
strate their domestic harmony. According to many, the publication hid another
more recondite message. In the numerous photos in the book, Tito is shown
as an old man needing care while Jovanka, who was not yet fifty, was a fountain
of energy.^231
In August of the same year, Tito went to the Soviet Union, North Korea,
and China, where he was invited by the new leadership, after the deaths of Mao
and Zhou Enlai. It was a source of great satisfaction for him to be the first
foreign statesman to meet Hua Guofeng and his collaborators. In fact, he reck-
oned on creating a dialogue with Mao’s successors that could be useful in the
context of his struggle with the Soviet Union. He went on the long trip without