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I think it's worth visiting a communist country to see what it's like. In a perverse sense it's too bad they're going the way of the dodo, because they will no longer serve as a warning sign for others. But in the end, I can't wish that people be enslaved just to provide that kind of entertainment. Only a Communist would be that cruel.

This is exactly how I feel, although the communist countries I visited were in Eastern Europe, and I was a part of a NATO delegation - hence we didn't see what they were truly like, only what the Soviets/puppets wanted us to see. Still, we saw people afraid of their government, and we saw some pretty poor conditions.

With these countries serving as a very visible sign of totalitarianism going away, it's hard to convince many Americans to be as cautious as they should be, in regards to accepting what our own government does and wants to do. No longer do we really have this clear example - China is now the country that turns out the cheap crap we buy in Wal-Mart, North Korea is run by a loony, etc., nobody sees the real threat, because all of the dictatorships are not much of a threat to us, so they are out of sight, which means out of mind.

I heard a talk given by Viktor Belenko years back (he defected to Japan with a Mig-25 in the 1970s, which shocked a lot of us - in some ways the Mig-25 was better than we expected, in others it was pathetic).

Anyways, he mentioned a lot of interesting contrasts between the US and the USSR (he lectured for years about how bad the Soviet system was, and was proven right in the late 1990s). This is from an interview he gave 1996:

Q: What made you question?
Belenko: Because I am very practical, technically oriented, person. I love to be in wilderness alone with Swiss army knife and matches rather than have a huge surplus and a huge crowd. When you're around very sophisticated equipment you have this honest trait-do it right and enjoy, do it wrong and die. You cannot use ideology to survive, or be like American lawyers who can talk themselves out of any situation. So I questioned the Soviet system by using my technological knowledge. I said okay U.S. is so bad how come they send man on the moon and bring him back? (Russians could send men on the moon in only one way.) If U.S. is so bad how come they're building best fighters in the world? If U.S. is fallen apart how come they have more Nobel Prize winners than progressive communist society? At same time I could not ask anyone those questions. If I had, at that time (in late 1960s), I would have ended up in mental institution. So I made my conclusion that U. S. is not that bad. At same time I did not have a clear picture of American society. And when I came to U.S. I behaved like someone from outer space. I put myself in very funny situations. Americans were laughing at me. I behaved worse than Mork in "Mork and Mindy".

Q: Like what did you do, for example?
Belenko: First of all American super-market, my first visit was under CIA supervision, and I thought it was set-up; I did not believe super-market was real one. I thought well I was unusual guest; they probably kicked everyone out. It's such a nice, big place with incredible amount of produce, and no long lines! You're accustomed to long lines in Russia. But later, when I discovered super-market was real one, I had real fun exploring new products. I would buy, everyday, a new thing and try to figure out its function. In Russia at that time (and even today) it's hard to find canned food, good one. But everyday I would buy new cans with different food. Once I bought a can which said "dinner." I cooked it with potatoes, onions, and garlic-it was delicious. Next morning my friends ask me, "Viktor, did you buy a cat?" It was a can of chicken-based cat food. But it was delicious! It was better than canned food for people in Russia today. And I did test it. Last year I brought four people from Russia for commercial project, and I set them up. I bought nibble sized human food. I installed a pâté, and it was cat food. I put it on crackers. And they did consume it, and they liked it. So the taste has not changed. By the way, for those who are not familiar with American cat food. It's very safe; it's delicious, and sometimes it's better than human food, because of the Humane Society.

I bought a box of Freedom with the picture of nice looking lady. I did not know what it was. (I'm talking about maxi-pads.) I brought it to my apartment, I opened it, and I tried to figure it out. I thought well it's probably some cleaning device for the kitchen to give these American women freedom in the kitchen to clean up and absorb everything, because even today Russian women do not have this convenience.

Q: What do they use?
Belenko: Well, what American women did in 1920s. This is the gap between two societies. During my presentations I emphasize this by using samples from everyday life. I had so much fun and adventure during my assimilation of American culture. You could write a book or make a movie, "Top-Gunski in America." I know how Russians live today, and as long as I live I'll never take those things for granted which many Americans do take for granted.

Interesting interview! I remember reading the reaction of an East German couple after they'd managed to get across the wall. They went to an upscale West German store and were overwhelmed by 300 types of bread! It confused them instead of gratifying them, which I thought was rather funny/sad.

I'd love to hear an elaboration on the MIG-25 - how was it better and worse?

I read an interesting analysis of Soviet weapons some years back which said that they were designed to be difficult, even painful, to use because then they could crank them out by the million on the cheap. American weapons, by contrast, were said to be comfortable, elegantly designed and very high quality, but some of the gizmos had trouble working, and we couldn't build enough of them to be effective.

I must say that recent wars seem to have vindicated the US approach. The gizmos worked a lot better than I'd heard they would, and we were able to vanquish our enemy with relative ease. I must say that I'm impressed by the work of our defense contractors nowadays. They seem to have done the job, despite the mid-80s skepticism.

D