Page 20 RAIN September/October 1985 four AA batteries! After establishing an account with Western Union Easylink my first TELEX message to Moscow—to Yevgeny Velikhov, Vice-President, Acade my of Sciences USSR. I proposed the creation of a computer conference between our countries using the Electronic Information Exchange System (EIES), based at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. f. Two weeks later I was flying to Moscow—with my "little toy computer" (that's what it seems like to me). While in flight, a message was sent to San Francisco from the Soviet Academy of Sciences, asking me to postpone my trip for one month. I was going to Moscow to anchor the second "Global Town Meeting" radio broadcast, and thought I would try to make some progress along the computer front as long as I was there. My computer sailed through Soviet customs; a Bruce Springsteen tape, "Born in the U.S.A.," was confiscated! As luck would have it, I met a senior scientist, Boris Rauschenbakh, who gained fame some 25 years ago when he was project director for the historic first photos of the dark side of the moon. Rauschenbakh was fascinated with the little computer, and with the idea of a The task is not to save Humanity. The task is to create Humanity using advanced communication technologies. U.S.-Soviet computer link. I reaffirmed my desire to speak to someone, even though I had been asked to delay my visit. He phoned a colleague, Boris Naumov, Director of the Institute for Informatic Problems (Information Science) at the Academy—and two hours later I met with Naumov and his senior staff. The proposed U.S.-Soviet computer link was favorably received but, I was told, decisions would have to be made at a higher level. The Model 100 was an instant hit. Upon my return, 1 called the U.S. Department of State—Soviet Desk, to inform them of my project: Q: "What kind of information will be exchanged?" A: "Scientific information among consenting adults." Q: "What's in it for us? Why should we do this?" A: "We could learn a few things from the Russians—in areas like advanced earthquake prediction, laser technology, eye surgery, and so forth." Q: "Do you mean you just want to make communication more efficient?" A: "That's it." During the next several months I sent dozens of TELEXes to follow up my meeting with Naumov; there was not a single response from Moscow. I decided to go Line drawing of PE
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