The Russians

In the world at large, Russians have a reputation for discipline because of their seemingly docile obedience to authority. But this is a discipline imposed from outside. Left to their own devices, Russians are generally an easy-going, disorderly, pleasantly disorganized, and not very efficient people.

In July 1975, C.I.A. economists calculated that from 1968-1974, the Soviet Gross National Product rose from $555 to $722 billion while American GNP rose from $1,090 to $1,266 billion, giving the Soviet economy an annual growth rate close to 4.7 percent compared to about 2.4 percent for the American economy.

With economic controls and centralized pricing, Russians have cushioned themselves from the gyrations of boom-and-bust and double-digit inflation that have rocked Western economies.

Thanks to Lenin's belief in electricity, most peasant homes have lights — and television. But plumbing remains a luxury for the future.

Russians often brag about how much they read. But I saw only half a dozen people glancing at newspapers.

One unusual article in March 1975, revealed that 27 percent of the total value of Soviet farm output — about $32.5 billion worth a year — comes from private plots that occupy less than one percent of the nation's agricultural lands

Westerners forget that far from the scene, they sometimes know more about some Soviet historical events than young Russians themselves.

In 1970, the Soviet Union had 11 million phones compared to 120 million in America.

Affairs in working-class dormitory buildings, Writers' Union hideaways, and hostels are reportedly so common, that Russians joke, "We don't need prostitution, we have hostels."

Given the shortage of men after World War II, Russian women have gained a reputation for being forward.