Dear Cha-Wel-Dor-Sue,

Never, never, never underestimate the power and the dynamism of the Soviet Union. It is evident everywhere - in their aerofloat aircraft, their modern apartment construction, in their heavy industry, hydroelectric dams, beautiful museums, modern city planning, and their love of the arts. No one seems to be unemployed, and everyone works. There is no welfare, no hand-outs, a certain elitism exists, to be sure, and the bureaucracy enjoys all sorts of favorable "perks". However, the actual salary difference in rubles between the man at the top and the man at the bottom is not great, and at least looks well on paper.

The Soviet Union is a far greater melting pot than the United States ever was, and in Alma Alta, capital of Kazakstan, the newspaper is published in five tongues.

The pride an American has in his home is the same pride that Soviets have in their cities and republics. Everything, except a few essential personal possessions, belongs to the State or to everyone.

Education is universal and a nation that was totally illiterate a generation or so ago is now remarkably enlightened. It is no wonder that the Third World greatly admires the Russian accomplishment, and would seek to do likewise.

In the New Constitution, not only is universal education mandated but housing as well! To be sure, they are behind things at the moment, but the Constitution prescribes free housing for all.

Were I a peasant, a serf, an illiterate, etc., I would have been a revolutionary and a disciple of Lenin. It is the religion of the future for a great many people on this globe for it acknowledges only the accomplishments of man. The churches in Russia and its temples and synagogues are now beautifully preserved as part of their natural heritage and are serving as museums open to the public. They are a source of pride and are being restored and preserved, as is the national Heritage.

The Soviets, like the Incas, have incorporated adjoining societies and have preserved their cultures and languages. Time will tell what will happen to Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Poland, and East Germany, etc., and more recently, Afghanistan.

Leningrad, almost totally destroyed by the Nazis, withstood a siege of 900 days, and is virtually completely restored to its former glory. It is one of the most beautiful cities in the World. The present day paranoia and suspicion of the Soviets is not entirely a matter of the Party's security program but something inherited from the Czarist regimes. Fear of invasion was always known to the Russians, and Russia had at one time or another been ruled by Sweden, Germany, Poland, Turkey, and particularly by the Tatars, or Mongols, who ruled Russia for over 300 years. Modern Russia has decreed that it will never happen again. Their land is immense, their resources inexhaustible and largely untapped, their defense establishment is second to none, and their cities are so widely scattered that an invasion is no longer possible. Moscow, the heart of the Union, is no longer capturable, for it is ringed with sophisticated weaponry.

The cleanliness of the cities is real, for every thoroughfare is broomed and washed daily and littering is a crime. Jay-walking is also punishable.

The generosity of Russians as individuals is genuine, and a national pride in their motherland is conspicuous everywhere, in their government buildings, parks, theaters, public facilities such as the subway, etc.

Consumer foods are not a high priority but the essentials of housing and food and clothing are available to all, although occasionally, when it comes to food, one must wait in line and pay under the counter.

Athleticism is promoted and nurtured from early childhood and competitive sports are encouraged. Olympic gold medals are used as a measure of the success of the Soviet system and sports palaces abound all over Russia.

Night life is virtually non-existent.

Russian aircraft, and particularly the Ilusyhun 62 with four rear engines is the equal of any in the World in power, performance and appointments. We flew non-stop from New York to Moscow and it was a breeze. The Tupelow 104 is a two-engine plane (like the 737) but with pods close to the fuselage, and the Antonov 154 is a large tri-jet, like our 727, but larger. Finally, the Ilusyhun 18 and the Yak 40 (corporate tri-jet) are great planes and the Communist countries will soon be flying them everywhere. Russian aircraft are competitive with the best of the Western World and their air fields appear to be adequate and their airports are improving. Certainly their pilots are the equal of those anywhere in the World.

When we were in Moscow, we were tremendously impressed by the practice of wedded couples going immediately to the local Socialist shrines and declaring their allegiance first to mother Russia and secondly to each other. Marriages are civil ceremonies and take about 10 minutes after which they go immediately to such places as the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Lenin's Tomb and so forth. The ceremony is designed to emphasize their love of country first and love of family second.

One of the smart things that Lenin did with his first decree - and this is rather impressive to me - was to preserve all objects of historical interest, such as churches, art treasures, palaces, mosques, Madrassahs, etc., and this proved to be a far-sighted move. His second decree was that all land belongs to the Soviet, and that all means of production belong to the people. His third decree was that electrification should be brought to all the parts of Russia, as this was essential for the development of every part of the country.

It is interesting that as we visited cities like Taskent in Ubekstan, we came across beautiful modern buildings which were called Houses of Friendship, and they served as visitors centers where foreign dignitaries were welcomed and made to feel at home. There are exposed the accomplishments of the respective republics and their plans for the future of the region. The economic progress and the capital improvements are graphically portrayed and visitors from the emerging, or Third World, countries, cannot help but be impressed by these museums. Secondly, when one visits the newer capitals, the extent of city planning really is remarkable. Large areas are devoted for public gatherings and parks abound.

At the present time, the young are now going voluntarily to Siberia and these people are called Syberskis. They are going there primarily because of the extra pay and also to some extent due to the idealism and pioneer spirit of the young-at-heart. Bratsk is one of the cities that we visited and which at one time had the largest hydroelectric plant in the world and we were told that the average age there was approximately 26 years of age. Many of the young have already started eastward from Irkutsk and they are building the railroad from Lake Baikal to the pacific coast. They are going to have two railways paralleling each other from the west to east directions, the other railroad being the Trans-Siberian railroad.

The economic development of the Soviet Union surpassed my most extravagant impressions. Industrially, agriculturally, educationally, scientifically and so forth, and the development of their cities, with magnificent buildings, parks, revolutionary squares, museums, theaters, and their superb mass transportation, were all most impressive. To be sure, the wants of the average people in the way of consumer goods, has been shelved aside for the moment and their main interest is in building an Army, Air Force, and Navy second to none, so that Russia will never, never, never ever again be ruled by other than Russians. Russia is so vast that from its western end to its eastern end, it covers eleven time zones.

Lastly, it is only fair to say that all the time that we were in Russia, we were completely aware of the fact that we were being observed and no one could depart very far without his presence being made known to one of the guides. On each bus, there was the official In-tourist guide but there was always someone else who was observing and the inference was that she was learning to become a guide. In reality, she was a member of the KGB.

It is interesting in some of the smaller cities to notice that they also have voluntary law enforcement and corps of young people patrol at night to clear the streets of the drunks and suspicious characters. It is known all too well that Russia has a high ratio of alcoholism.

Constant surveillance is a fact of life in Russia and one is always aware of an In-tourist observer who accompanies the official guide. One can photograph everything except military installations, aircraft, and airfields.

The heroic monuments which were built after the Great War, or so-called Second World War, are of stupendous proportions and they are awe-inspiring. No young Russian could be left untouched after witnessing, the tremendous tributes to the dead of the Russian wars.

The national Russian drink is vodka and Stolichnaya and Russikaya are among the best. Flavored vodkas are delightful and we enjoyed some Hunter's vodka flavored with grass and herbs, some lemon vodka, some Bison vodka, and cherry vodka, and all are especially smooth and can be sipped with delight. There is no cutting, burning or scorching as it descends one's palate. It appears to be just smooth as velvet, and this may be due to the presence of some glycerine. American brands of vodka are used with mixes and are not drunk straight.

Georgian and Armenian cognac and brandies are the equal of the French, if not better, and the Armenian wines are good and expensive.

The final thought I have is that the Russians love their arts and their music and their ballet, and I am sure that the Russian system of education, which takes children with extraordinary ability and then harbors and nurtures them along the entire course of their education is a sound method of bringing out the best in people. The brightest students are selected to go ahead and many of them are not given a choice of work but told upon graduating from their technical universities, that 1,200 petroleum engineers are needed this year and they are assigned to such work.

Lastly, the one thing that we truly enjoyed in Russia was the inexpensiveness of its entertainment. We attended the Marinsky Theater in Leningrad and the Bolshoi in Moscow. Our tickets cost about $2.50 a piece.

I enjoyed the trip to Russia but next time, will visit Georgia and Armenia and the area around the Caspian Sea, as they say this is truly beautiful and should not be missed.

Sincerely,

DAD

CEJ/ngb