X-Message-Number: 28396
Date: Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:03:47 -0700
From: Olaf Henny <>
Subject: Soviet Economy to David Stodolsky (off topic)
References: <>

In  Message #28389 David Stodolsky wrote in part:

>Actually, these are well known facts. They were recently confirmed to  
>me at a lecture by a leading expert on the development of the Soviet  
>nuclear establishment presented at the N. Bohr Institute, Univ. of  
>Copenhagen.



I wished these 'facts" were also known to the citizens in the various 

countries in the former East Block.  Pray tell me where did all these

manufactured products go?



I do not care, how reputable an institution you cite, I have LIVED it 

until 1951 and have remained in touch with friends and family 

thereafter, and I KNOW how miserably the production of goods 

failed within the Warsaw Pact countries.  Until the collapse of the 

Soviet Empire you had to wait years after you ordered and PAID 

for a new car to have it delivered in every country there.  And 

when you finally got it, it was a piece of junk, for which you could 

not get any spare parts and which could not be cranked up to more 

that 80 kmh (50 mph).  



One of my relatives worked during the mid 

70ties in a repair shop, in which such a car could not be fixed, 

because two bolts were missing.  After a couple of weeks they 

finally had to drive 80 KM to the factory and bribe somebody to 

get them.  Now if you add the cost of the bribe and the drive to 

that of the bolts, there has been an impressive contribution made

 to the GDP by those two measly bolts.



A high ranking Soviet Officer stationed in Siberia found it 

necessary to ship the blade spring of his soviet made car to a 

comrade of his stationed in Berlin, because he had heard of the 

skills of a blacksmith in my home town, located another 350 km 

(220 miles) in fixing such blades.  The blades were fixed and 

shipped back to Siberia.



The list of such events could go on and on.

So now, please tell me again about the great economic 

achievements in the CCCP.

 Content-Type: text/html;

[ AUTOMATICALLY SKIPPING HTML ENCODING! ] 

Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=28396