As you probably know, Joseph Stalin was a thoroughly miserable character. Despite his numerous faults he was noted for having some degree of confidence in his generals and senior ministers--at least until the next purge.
Molotov, his foreign minister, was once overheard during a trans-Atlantic telephone call during the course of some very intricate negotiations with the West during the early 1950s..
Throughout the call he said, "Yes, Comrade Stalin," in quiet tones, then again, "Yes, Comrade Stalin," and after a considerable wait, "Certainly Comrade Stalin."
Suddenly Molotov was galvanized into emotion. "No, Comrade Stalin," he barked. "No. That no. Definitely no."
After a while he quited and it was "Yes, Comrade Stalin," again. A reporter who overheard this exchange was never so excited in his life. Clearly Molotov was opposing Stalin on at least one point and it would surely be important to the West to know what that point was.
The man approached Molotov and said as calmly as possible, "I could not help but overhear you say at one point, 'No, Comrade Stalin.'"
Molotov, who was not noted for charm himself, turned a cold eye and snarled, "What of it?"
"May I ask," said the reported cautiously, "what the subject under discussion was at the time?"
"You may," Molotov returned. "Comrade Stalin asked me if there was anything which he said with which I disagreed."