Session: 1234567891011121314151617         Page 628629630631632633634635636637638639640641642643644645646647648649650651652653654655656657658659660661662663664665666667668669670671672673674675 of 755

ambassador and your wife will talk to the empress. Then at some point in the conversation they'll switch, and you'll talk to the empress and she'll talk to the emperor.”

I said: “What's the signal?”

He said: “There isn't any set signal, but there will be some sign that the switch will be made.”

He said: “It will take maybe five minutes and that's all.”

Well, we got there. We were ushered into this room where they make these presentations, and there must have been twenty or thirty Japanese dignitaries all in their formal dress. And some women. But the empress was in her obi--a beautiful gown. She received Ruth, and I had to talk through an interpreter to the emperor. I told him what I had, and he was very gracious. Then he said he wanted to ask me some questions about an American program. And it happened to be ”Gunsmoke. “ [Q. laughs]

He wanted to know about who was ”Kitty. “ Do you remember--

Are you kidding? I was raised on ”Gunsmoke. “

Okay.

I was raised on Kitty. She was an early role model [irony].

Now, the translator didn't know what the hell I was talking about. He not only had to make his conversation in conventional Japanese, but the court Japanese is still different.