Page 6 RAIN Jan./Feb. 1984 into the Soviet Union jumped at the opportunity. We asked people on the Soviet State Committee on Publishing, on the Soviet Peace Committee, on the Soviet Women's Committee, on the Committee on Youth Organizations, and on the Institute for U.S.A. and Canadian Studies whether they would be interested in exchanging information on a daily basis with people in the U.S. vis-a-vis the peace issue, and they all want to do that. In fact, I have here what may be one of the first messages out of the U.S.S.R. by computer. It talks about a biochemistry computer conference scheduled for December. Our major interest in the linkage was for peace projects to be implemented by these daily changes. '"We talk about the freedom of individual choice. They talk about freedom/rom poverty, freedom from illiteracy, freedom from illness." RAIN: What other instances point to their readiness to telecommunicate? Schatz: The interactive video exchange via satellite—a space bridge—which occurred in May 1983, linking the US [Rock] Festival in San Bernardino, California, and Moscow, was played on Soviet television to an estimated 130 to 150 million people. It was a half-dialogue-and- half-music exchange. The dialogue was between astronauts, politicians, educators, school children. It was an unscripted, uncensored exchange followed by an exchange between rock bands. Music from a Soviet band was broadcast in San Bernardino by large screen, and images of American rock musicians were broadcast in studios in Moscow. All live, interactive broadcasts. It concluded with the first transnational jam-session of good jazz in history. Another [exchange] took place in July 1983 in San Diego. It was a film festival, focusing on children's films. It was really successful. We obtained English translations of reviews of this that appeared in Soviet newspapers. Mr. Gromyko personally congratulated the director of Gastlordio Studios for the success of the satellite exchange. RAIN: Why have you chosen to focus on computer exchanges? Schatz: While space bridges are a wonderful, powerful, group-oriented experience, they are very expensive. Space technology isn't at the stage where people can afford interactive video daily, whereas computer conferences can be maintained at a frachon of the cost. It's also the kind of network that enables groups to do serious work, to exchange scientific reports, to actually hold problem-solving conferences, to use electronic mail. There's been a long tradition of exchanges with the Russians in the arts, the sciences—astronomers and meteorologists, for example. There are millions of exchanges each year between Soviet and American ham radio operators. They will simply facilitate communication instead of having to travel, or make expensive phone calls, or suffer the agony of mail delays. Why do [the Russians] want to talk? I think what prompts them most is survival. RAIN: What historical factors influence their deep feelings for survival? Schatz: They're preoccupied, almost daily, with memories of World War II. Men wear campaign ribbons on the outside of their suit jackets. Fresh flowers are found on military memorials all over the cities every day. A young bride and groom will leave a wedding ceremony and will place fresh flowers on military monuments. When they threw out the tsar in their big revolution, there were some who really wanted to redistribute the wealth, but there wasn't a lot to distribute, except for some palaces and paintings. It seems like what they're trying to do is first satisfy the basic needs. You see, when we talk about freedom in this country, it's with a completely different set of semantics than when the Soviets talk about freedom. We talk about the freedom of individual choice to do what we want to do. They talk about freedom/rom poverty, freedom from
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NTc4NTAz