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off.) And we were also told that
the plane had only
one
available
seat!
1
then asked the young Russian
airport employee to let me speak to
the airport manager, since I still felt
we ought to be able to get on that
particular tligbt, baving booked the
seats rnonths in advance.
She then took me down a laby–
rinth of corridors and into a room
where there was a junior official as
well as severa! Russian wornen. 1
asked the young lady to explain the
circurnstances to this Russian offi–
cial, to say that it was not our fault
that we were late and to ask
him
if
we could still get on the flight for
wbich we were originally booked.
Repeatedly, 1 heard the word
Nyet
(No).
We left the office, and as we were
going back to where rny wife was
waiting with our luggage,
1
again
asked the young lady to let me
speak to the manager. This time, she
took me into the manager's office.
He looked as tñough he rnight really
have the authority to speak to the
pilot. By now, the door of the plane
had been shut, and it was getting
ready to taxi out to the end of the
runway.
J
asked the Russian lady inter–
preter to please tell him about our
plight - how we were given a taxi
driver who didn' t know where he
was going and how he took us to the
wrong airport, causing us to be late,
through no fault of our own.
Furthermore, 1 asked her to tell
the gentleman that I had already
contacted relatives, inforrning thern
of our flight arrival at the London
airport, and
J
had no way of letting
them know we wouldn't be on the
scheduled flight. Besides, if we
missed our flight, we had no hotel
reservations in Moscow for the
night.
The airport official (presurnably
the manager) at last seerned to get
the rnessage. He grabbed the pbone
and gave sorne kind of an order -
undoubtedly ordering the pilot to
hold the plane until rny wife and 1
were aboard. The pilot rnust have
26
informed him that it was too late for
us to get on that flight. The man–
ager's authoritative reply? "Da, da,
da, da ...
!"
According to rny own
interpretation, he said sornething
like: "Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ... I
know, but you just hold that plane. 1
aro sending these people right out!"
And that is precisely what he did.
The interpreter and
1
practically
ran through a rnaze of corridors -
back to where rny wife was impa–
tiently waiting with our bags. We
hurriedly filled out a forro or two
and were told to forget about weigh–
ing our bags. (We had had to pay
about $65 for excess baggage at
Bornbay airport as we boarded for
Moscow and would presurnably
have had to pay a similar amount
bere, had we not been so hurried.)
We were then asked to get into a
car (instead of walking out to the
plane), and we were driven to the
waiting aircraft to save time. Appar–
ently, we arrived in the nick of time
- for the engines were already run–
ning, and the plane door had to be
opened to let us on board. 1 found
that the plane was only half full.
We sat down aboard the Russian
aircraft, breathed a sigh of relief
and took solid cornfort in knowing
that the Russians are just as other
people. They, too, can be appealed
to and can be persuaded to cut
through red tape ifyou use the right
approach - the approach of the
"srniling, leaning elephant." This
matter of persistence or importunity
really works in Russia, as well as in
any other country.
A Look a t Soviet-American
Relations
Today's younger generation, who
since birth have lived under the
threat of nuclear annihilation and
propaganda from both sides, may
find it difficult to believe that Russia
and the United States were once on
friendly terms and have even been
allies during most of their national
histories.
lt
is only since the end of
World War
IJ
that strained relations
(the cold war) have existed between
thern. After nearly 30 years of coÍd
war, is it possible for the two great .
superpowers
to
resolve their differ–
ences and become friendly again?
Turning back the pages of recent
history, we have only to look at the
events of the year 1867.
lt
was two
years after the U. S. Civil War, and
the United States had just pur–
chased from Czarist Russia the
Alaskan territory for the unbeliev–
able surn of $7,200,000 - less than
two cents per acre! The deal was
called "Seward's Folly" by oppo–
nents of this purchase. But the point
to remerober is that it was. basically
a friendly Russia that sold Alaska to
the United States. Obviously, Rus–
sia would not have sold Alaska to
Arnerica had she looked upon the
United States as an unfriendly
power.
Furtherrnore, history points out
that it was,
in
great rneasure, U. S.
industry which helped to indus–
trialize Russia. Henry Ford and
other American industrialists built
factories in Russia - helping thern
to get their behind-the-tirnes indus–
tries really moving. And it was bil–
lions of dollars worth of American
aid, in the form of Lend-Lease, that
prevented the collapse ofvaliant So–
viet resistance before the Nazi on–
slaught in the early 1940's. The
United States also sent Russia a lot
of food during World War
IJ.
I aro sure that deep down, the
Russians, especially the cornmon
people, have not forgotten this kind–
ness.
Why
Renewed
U.
S.-Soviet
Overtures?
In May 1972, President Nixon
visited Russia and discussed Soviet–
American relations, and more re–
cently, Mr. Brezhnev visited the
United States in order to have fur–
ther talks with the President.
What does the Soviet Union want
frorn the United States? And what
does the United States want from
the Soviet Union? Why have Soviet
and U. S. leaders at last decided to
sit down and try to iron out sorne of
their differences?
The United States and Russia, as a
PLAIN TRUTH October 1973
•