416 The Later Years
Jovanka and the OthersTito was a man of great appetites, of greedy rapacity in everything: drinking,
eating, loving, and hating. “Tito knows fully how to savor life,” wrote Dobrica
Ćosić, who observed him up close in 1961. “This man does not renounce any
pleasure. In nothing is he ascetic.”^121 Especially in his quest for power.
In interpersonal relations he was casual, in particular with his comrades on
private occasions. “He was impulsive,” wrote Vladimir Dedijer. “He knew how
to speak in a down-to-earth way, with a vernacular studded with all the typical
words of our language.”^122 But he lost his temper only in the most stressful
moments, and only for a short time. He was also compassionate, as demon-
strated by a speech in the early fifties in which he invited the population to
“hold tight to your chests” the orphans of the collaborationists who fought with
the Germans against the Partisans and lost their lives during the war and after
it. And he knew what empathy was: after Ranković’s demise, the post of sec-
retary of internal affairs, which was responsible for the suppression of opposi-
tion, was offered to Anton Vratuša, who declined, saying in an interview with
him that, as a boy, when a pig was slaughtered at the family farm, he would run
away so as not to hear its cries. Tito was moved and did not insist.^123
He liked to entertain, often hosting social events, receptions, lunches, din-
ners, or film screenings as an entrée to the most important political and strategic
decisions. Unlike Stalin, he did not force his guests to drink excessively or to
misbehave.^124 In his old age, he would frequently enjoy a glass of whiskey with
a twist of lemon after dinner (but also during the day), claiming that Churchill
had taught him how to drink. The alcohol loosened his tongue, his joviality,
and his wit, which were part of his natural charm.^125 He had inherited a nice
voice from his mother and liked to sing popular songs. He had also learned
how to cook from her, refining this art during his underground life working
illegally before the Second World War.^126 He loved political jokes and when
they sprouted up like mushrooms during the sixties he tasked his personal
secretary with collecting them and referring them to him. He generally enjoyed
them very much, even if he was frequently the main victim.^127 He was able to
joke about himself. In July 1944 the writer Evelyn Waugh, who came to Vis
with Randolph Churchill, son of the British prime minister, began spreading
rumors that Tito was a “she” and a lesbian. Waugh repeated this “joke” for years,
referring to Tito as a “she” in his correspondence with Randolph Churchill. An
editor once refused to publish an article by Waugh, claiming it was offensive to
a head of state that had diplomatic relations with Great Britain. When Tito by
chance met him on the beach, wearing just a bathing suit, he asked: “Captain
Waugh, what makes you think I am a woman?”^128 Another memorable moment