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University Daily Kansan Monday, Mav 1, 1961
The Visitors
There was one significant impression left by the Russian visitors at Friday's Current Events Forum; they aren't kidding.
If any point was brought home to the audience who heard the hour and a half discussion it should have been that the American questions were on one level and the Russian answers were on another. There was no misunderstanding or misinterpretation in the translation process; we and they just weren't talking about the same things. It doesn't look like the American and the Russian ever will.
THESE PEOPLE ARE SOLD on their way of life as much as we are on ours. To them, communism has all the answers and promises the greatest future for man. To us, of course, our democratic system is best.
To the Russian, what greater proof of communism's superiority could there be than the magnificent advancements made since the Revolution? Friday's questions were answered mostly by reference to statistics covering everything from the catapulting number of Russian engineering graduates to the increase in the production of milk and butter.
Americans tend to match the inherent freedoms of their system against the lack of individualism of the Russian system and thus feel secure in the knowledge that human freedom is man's most prized possession.
Therefore, the "American way" can't lose.
But it is losing or at least is in trouble around the world. And the American can't understand why, because communism offers shackles and democracy offers men their freedom.
A little insight was given Friday afternoon:
Q: Why is it compulsory to study Marxism, Leninism and socialism in the Russian schools?
A: Because that teaches us the way to live. It is our way of life.And because the students want to study it.They would even if they didn't have to.
Q: Does the student have a choice of the field he wants to study?
A: His choice isn't important and he doesn't care about that. If the state needs an engineer, the student is happy to be an engineer and eager to study engineering.
THE DOGMATIC, AUTOMATIC answers seemed strange to the audience and they indicated so by the laughter that followed most answers. But as the program progressed, cynicism waned as the machine-like deliveries began to carry a ring of sincerity and dedication.
And it became very apparent that these people weren't kidding.
When we talk about our freedom they talk of the great freedoms they have now in contrast to 1917. When we talk of our standard of living they talk of their tenfold increase in agricultural, industrial, and scientific production in the last quarter century. When we talk of their Budapest, they talk of our Little Rock. When we talk of the rights of man, they talk of man's flight around the globe.
There was no misunderstanding—they aren't kidding.
Frank Morgan
Lunch With the Russians
By Rab N. Malik and Raja Mohammed Naib Pakistan Graduate Students
It was because of our deep conviction that human beings irrespective of their nationality customs, traditions and beliefs, have one thing in common, humanity, that we invited the Russian visitors to have lunch with us last Friday. We were also prompted by our concern and curiosity in regard to their views about what is vaguely termed, "The American Way of Life," as they saw it. Every effort was made on our part to create an atmosphere where they could express their opinions and conviction freely without being merely polite and diplomatic.
WE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY of entertaining three of the Russian visitors, two gentlemen and a lady. Our guests, albeit, different in physique possessed amazingly identical minds. One symbolized the calm, effective efficiency of a modern engineer, the other an immense intellectual prowess, presence of mind, and an inexhaustible sense of humor of a history teacher (we do not believe that all history teachers are humorous!), and the third—the woman—was a perfect picture of feminine sobriety, gracefulness and charms. All of them embodied the overwhelming zeal and conviction of an ultimate victory of communism as expounded by Marx and Lenin. Stalin was taftely excluded! Khrushchev is apparently an ordinary "worker" and does not fit into the theoretic-intellectual scheme of Communist ideology except his recent innovation of something called, "peaceful co-existence!"
We know that Pakistani food, (we cooked Pakistani dishes for our guests) is far more delicious than its counterpart in America and the Soviets were gracefully generous in its praise. They seemed to enjoy it hugely. Also having been treated to rubber-like roast beef ourselves on various occasions we heartily sympathized with the Russians for their apparent lack of enthusiasm for the institutional American food. However, we assured them that the English food was even worse!
We venture to think that our guests from the Soviet Union were reluctant to take the initiative in
conversation. Provided a stimulus, however, they were aggressive and effective participants in discussion. We exchanged views on various topics as diversified as family life, educational systems, Soviet foreign policy, socialistic versus private enterprise system of economy, and the respective merits and deremises of Western type of democracy and the dictatorship of the Proletariat.
The serious part of our conversation centered around the relations between the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union and its impact upon their neighbors. While stressing an air of general solidarity regarding aims and objectives of communism our guests dubbed Tibet and the border dispute between China and India as domestic matters of China. This view, they explained, was in harmony with the Soviet policy of non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. Laos was also dismissed as a local affair which was the concern of that crisis-torn country alone.
We asked our Soviet visitors as to whether it would be advisable to rule out the possibility of following different roads towards the achievement of communist objectives? The answer was ruthlessly systematic and would have sounded logical and convincing to an ear not familiar with the other side of the picture. The pattern of the argument was Marxian Dialectical approach. The virtues of socialistic economy of the Russian Style were contrasted with the vices of Capitalism.
THE PURPOSE OF RUSSIAN socialism, we were told, is to eliminate economic exploitation which is inherent in the capitalistic scheme of economy. Socialism assures equality of opportunity for all extinction of poverty and disease, universal literacy, and this happy state of affairs will ultimately lead to the establishment of truly classless society. The standard of living in Czechoslovakia, which we were informed can be favorably contrasted with the living standards in the States, was brought about because of planned economy of that country. Our guests demonstrated scorn for Yugoslavia, a country which they thought was encouraging petty bourgeois trends in its economy. It was interesting to compare their resentment for Yugoslavia
with their tolerant and at times indifferent attitude towards Red China interspersed with high praise for Czechoslovakia.
The Russians were dead serious in their belief that planned economy, socialism in other words, was indispensable for the development of the underdeveloped parts of the world. The Soviet Union personifying a poor boy who made good during his own life time can serve an example for the newly developing countries. "The shadow of communism is noticeable in every part of the world" and now is ascending towards the moon, we were informed in an exhalted fashion.
The various aspects of the American society ranging from high heels, automobiles, huge buildings and spacious highways were invariably attributed to either bourgeois way of wasting money or unnecessary comforts of life. At this stage the Soviets point out particularly that their tough and rough life was directed towards maintaining the basic resources of vigor, vitality, dynamism, and the health of the communist society. They expressed amusement at the supposed lack of vigor and the feverish concern of the American youth with things material. Money-getting is the greatest, and perhaps the only obsession, of the young people in America today. It is because of this that the peace corps is doomed to failure, they prophesied.
We have, to the best of our abilities, attempted to fairly and honestly reproduce the views of the Soviet visitors as expressed to us. Here it is not only proper but pertinent that we should like to voice our own opinion. We in Pakistan have our own ideas of the ultimate good and human happiness. As inheritors of the great heritage of Islam our concepts about the dignity of man and the welfare of the individual are deeply rooted in our tradition and culture. As such most of the statements of our guests about the commiss ideology were no revelations to us.
WE ARE PROMPTED by something called human conscience to ask as to why our Soviet guests were so genuinely convinced of almost inevitable victory of their system. Their missionary zeal, al-
(Continued on page 3)
LITTLE MAN ON CAMPUS
The Russians on Tour
By Scott Payne
What I thought would be vacation from school work and an easy UDK assignment for me turned out to be international cold war in microcosm when "give-e-mell" Harry Truman met the Russians during the KU-Y tour Saturday.
IT'S A MYSTERY to me why Mr. Baranov asked the question about disarmament. Perhaps he sought to placate Mr. Truman and was seeking grounds for a more pleasant discussion. If so, then he was sadly disappointed, for HST remained formidable throughout the short session.
When Nikolai Baranov made his opening statement to Mr. Truman, the former was brought up short by the comment he received. Mr. Truman was composed and was grinning broadly when he replied to Mr. Baranov but he left no doubt as to his feeling when he spoke.
When Mr. Truman answered this last question he did an "about-face" and marched into his office before the interpreter had finished speaking.
When I remarked later to Mr. Baranov that Mr. Truman had not been too diplomatic, he was enthusiastic in his agreement.
Following their blunt dismissal, the Russians' attitude changed markedly. When we began to tour the library and its museum, the Russians more or less ignored the guide and proceeded to explore on their own.
AFTER ABOUT 20 minutes we reconvened and then drove to a local restaurant to eat. Here the Russians became somewhat more
affable and remained so until after we got to the Nelson Art Gallery,
The Russians seemed only slightly interested until we came to the displays of contemporary art. There Mr. Baranov's face became longer and longer. When I asked Yanis Vaidv what he thought of the pictures he merely grimaced.
Vadim Koptilin replied to the same question, "How can I like what I don't understand." This was also the reaction of Mavr Davtyan.
After leaving the second contemporary display, a number of the Russians were missing. We went to the main lobby and found some of them there and saw one other near the bus. This ended the tour of the gallery.
AFTER LEAVING the gallery we proceeded to downtown Kansas City, Mo., and here dispersed to go shopping.
Kenneth Megill, assistant instructor of Western Civilization, and I escorted Yuri Bychkov and Yanis Vaïvod to help them do their shopping. In the course of an hour and a half, we managed to cover five stores and have a good time.
Mr. Bychkov is quite pleasant and has a very ready smile and Mr. Vaivod became friendly with us and seemed quite human for the rest of the trip.
At 5:30 p.m. we boarded the bus to return to Lawrence.
AT THIS POINT there was good-natured chatter. Nearly everyone except the machine-like Mavr Davytan and the impassive Gumer Telyaschev relaxed and discussed the tour.
An hour later we rode up Mt. Oread.
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