A Gorbachev joke my dad told me a few years ago Mikhail Gorbachev visits the US and meet with Ronald Reagan. They talk about how each country chooses their second in command. Gorbachev says that the Communist Party gives rigorous exams and screenings to choose the second in command. Reagan says he gives a test to figure out who to choose. He calls George H.W. Bush over and asks "who's your father's son but not your brother?" Bush says "why, that would be me!" Gorbachev is impressed and goes back to the USSR. He calls his deputy, Vladimir Ivashko, and asks him "who's your father's son but not your brother?" The guy is completely stumped, so Gorbachev asks for the answer by Tuesday morning. Ivashko asks all over the communist party and nobody has an answer. Late at night on Monday, Ivashko calls the foreign minister (Eduard Shevardnadze I believe) and asks "who is your father's son but not your brother?" Shevardnadze says "why, that would be me, duh." Ivashko goes back to Gorbachev and says "I have your answer! It's Shevardnadze!" Gorbachev says "no you idiot, George Bush is your father's son but not your brother!!" ​ Additional note: my dad told me this joke a few years ago, which was apparently popular among Soviet citizens (he lived in Ukraine during the last 7 years of the Soviet Union for med school). I totally forgot the names, so I looked them up just now, so any experts in Soviet government, feel free to chime in!