https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1980/12/15/a-defecting-pilot-comes-down-to-earth
At first, says Barron, the defector thought North America was all too good to be true. He suspected that the supermarkets, shops, hospitals and military bases that he visited were all ruses built by the CIA just to impress foreigners. He was shown an aircraft carrier and couldn’t believe the freedom and responsibility of officers and men alike. “I saw sergeants in charge of equipment that would only be trusted to a team of two colonels and a civilian with a PhD in Russia,” he said later.
“He finds excitement in everything,” says Barron. “When he first arrived he couldn’t drive a car. We taught him to do that in a matter of hours and he has since driven all over the country.” Once, while driving with a CIA officer in Virginia, he was stopped for speeding. The police officer approached the car and Belenko calmly handed him $40, confident that the bribe would settle everything. The CIA man quickly identified himself and explained that in the Soviet Union it is commonplace to bribe the police to avoid traffic tickets. Feathers unruffled, the police officer shook hands with Belenko and said he was proud to meet him.