Perestroika in action
At the end of 1987 Willem got an invitation from Vladimir Andreenkov, whom I had met in the RC33 conference in Amsterdam for a visit to the USSR. At that time Gorbachov was in power and had declared more freedom of opinion, the so called "perestroika". However, I was not invited for discussions of politics in the USSR but rather to participate in a conference in Moscow. I had not received any information about the topic of the meeting, neither about the participants. Under normal circumstances I would consider twice before I would agree to go but this invitation was too interesting too reject. In the spring of 1988 I went by plane from East Berlin to Moscow where I would be picked up by somebody.
The program
Getting of the plane in Moscow I saw Gerhard Arminger, a German statistician, which I knew also from the RC33 meeting. We went to the exit of the airport and met there Vladimir Andreenkov. He was there with his car and brought us to an enormous hotel in the center of Moscow. After having arranged the rooms for us, which were next to each other, he handed over to us the program of the meeting. We both went in our room and looked at the program of the conference. This was so strange that we both spontaneously went out again laughing about what we had seen. The first day there would be three sessions, each of two hours. The first session only one speaker was announced. The second session 4 speakers and the third session 16 speakers. The second day there was a trip announced to Suzdal and the third day there were again three sessions with each 16 speakers. Such a program we had never seen and we had no idea how it would be done. We would see it the next day.
At the dinner in a huge restaurant we met the other Western participants , Duane Alwin and Robert Groves, both I had met before in Amsterdam at the conferences. We all were surprised about the program and how it would be organized. We suggested that we at least would limit our speaking time as much as possible.
Getting of the plane in Moscow I saw Gerhard Arminger, a German statistician, which I knew also from the RC33 meeting. We went to the exit of the airport and met there Vladimir Andreenkov. He was there with his car and brought us to an enormous hotel in the center of Moscow. After having arranged the rooms for us, which were next to each other, he handed over to us the program of the meeting. We both went in our room and looked at the program of the conference. This was so strange that we both spontaneously went out again laughing about what we had seen. The first day there would be three sessions, each of two hours. The first session only one speaker was announced. The second session 4 speakers and the third session 16 speakers. The second day there was a trip announced to Suzdal and the third day there were again three sessions with each 16 speakers. Such a program we had never seen and we had no idea how it would be done. We would see it the next day.
At the dinner in a huge restaurant we met the other Western participants , Duane Alwin and Robert Groves, both I had met before in Amsterdam at the conferences. We all were surprised about the program and how it would be organized. We suggested that we at least would limit our speaking time as much as possible.
The first day
The next day we were brought by car to a building with an enormous conference room. The tables were put in a square but the square was so large that from one side one could hardly see who was sitting at the other site. The first session started with a political speech in Russian which was difficult to follow although we received simultaneous translation. In the second session where 4 speakers were planned but only 3 spoke. These speeches were also about Russian politics which were again difficult to follow for outsiders.
Then there was a break and Vladimir came to me to say that I should chair the next session. I asked how I could do that with a list of 16 speakers for 2 hours. He told me that it was up to me to decide. I protested but there was no way out. I looked at the program and saw that 8 people were from his university. I asked whether he knew what they would tell. He said yes and then I suggested that we omit these 8 speakers and give the other participants each 15 minutes to present what they wanted. He agreed and so we started. I explained the procedure and gave each of them 15 minutes which worked well. Around 6 p.m. all had spoken. Just before finishing somebody came to me and asked if I would mind to give the one speaker of the earlier session who had not spoken some time to speak now. This seemed OK to me. So I explained it again and that person came to the front and started to talk about Perestroika.
Then for the first time there came reactions. I gave another the floor and I understood that this was a "Stalinist" who was very much against what was said. Some more participants wanted to talk and so I had to guide a discussion about perestroika the first day I was in the USSR. While the discussion went on, somebody came to me to say that we had to stop the discussion because the room had to be closed. I understood what they wanted but I wanted to hear more. I asked who wanted to say something more and noted down the names (I don´t know how I did that), but then I gave them a chance to speak. Some people were so far away that I could not see them. With some help I managed to finish this free discussion about Gorbachov´s perestroika. It was an interesting experience.
The next day we were brought by car to a building with an enormous conference room. The tables were put in a square but the square was so large that from one side one could hardly see who was sitting at the other site. The first session started with a political speech in Russian which was difficult to follow although we received simultaneous translation. In the second session where 4 speakers were planned but only 3 spoke. These speeches were also about Russian politics which were again difficult to follow for outsiders.
Then there was a break and Vladimir came to me to say that I should chair the next session. I asked how I could do that with a list of 16 speakers for 2 hours. He told me that it was up to me to decide. I protested but there was no way out. I looked at the program and saw that 8 people were from his university. I asked whether he knew what they would tell. He said yes and then I suggested that we omit these 8 speakers and give the other participants each 15 minutes to present what they wanted. He agreed and so we started. I explained the procedure and gave each of them 15 minutes which worked well. Around 6 p.m. all had spoken. Just before finishing somebody came to me and asked if I would mind to give the one speaker of the earlier session who had not spoken some time to speak now. This seemed OK to me. So I explained it again and that person came to the front and started to talk about Perestroika.
Then for the first time there came reactions. I gave another the floor and I understood that this was a "Stalinist" who was very much against what was said. Some more participants wanted to talk and so I had to guide a discussion about perestroika the first day I was in the USSR. While the discussion went on, somebody came to me to say that we had to stop the discussion because the room had to be closed. I understood what they wanted but I wanted to hear more. I asked who wanted to say something more and noted down the names (I don´t know how I did that), but then I gave them a chance to speak. Some people were so far away that I could not see them. With some help I managed to finish this free discussion about Gorbachov´s perestroika. It was an interesting experience.
Day 2: The trip to Suzdal
Early the next morning we were brought to a big square where two busses were waiting for us to go the Suzdal. While we were waiting there was some excitement between the Russian participants who exchanged papers with each other. I asked one man who spoke a bit English what they were reading. He told me that it was the proposal for the constitution of Estonia. I was completely surprised, I never had looked at any constitution. This seemed to me not a text to be excited about, but they were.
After an hour waiting the buses went away with the Russians still reading the copies of the constitution. The man who spoke a bit English was sitting close to me. Occasionally we spoke with each other. His name was Gravilov. I have forgotten his first name. He told me that the major problem for the people of the USSR at that moment was the shortage of goods in the Russian shops and he asked me how it was possible that in the West one could buy any product one wanted. I hesitated to tell him the theory of the “invisible hand”. What else could I tell? These discussions went very slow because he had to explain all in Russian again because the people around him were very interested in this discussion.
After 2 hours we arrived in a town called Wladimir where we stopped in front of a big Church. There we made a break which took very long. Later I was told that they were waiting for a guide for Suzdal. We used the time for a photo of Gravilov and me.
Early the next morning we were brought to a big square where two busses were waiting for us to go the Suzdal. While we were waiting there was some excitement between the Russian participants who exchanged papers with each other. I asked one man who spoke a bit English what they were reading. He told me that it was the proposal for the constitution of Estonia. I was completely surprised, I never had looked at any constitution. This seemed to me not a text to be excited about, but they were.
After an hour waiting the buses went away with the Russians still reading the copies of the constitution. The man who spoke a bit English was sitting close to me. Occasionally we spoke with each other. His name was Gravilov. I have forgotten his first name. He told me that the major problem for the people of the USSR at that moment was the shortage of goods in the Russian shops and he asked me how it was possible that in the West one could buy any product one wanted. I hesitated to tell him the theory of the “invisible hand”. What else could I tell? These discussions went very slow because he had to explain all in Russian again because the people around him were very interested in this discussion.
After 2 hours we arrived in a town called Wladimir where we stopped in front of a big Church. There we made a break which took very long. Later I was told that they were waiting for a guide for Suzdal. We used the time for a photo of Gravilov and me.
When we went on the weather changed, it got colder, windy and it started snowing. After another hour we reached Suzdal. Due to the snow we could not see much of the town. They brought us to a museum of Folklore. This wasn´t very interesting and quickly they brought us to a restaurant at the other side of the street. There we got a meal but it took quite a while. Then we went back to the buses. The weather had really changed and it was now quite a heavy snow storm. Nobody explained what happened but my Russian friend told me that they were going back because of the bad weather. We had not seen anything and we were wondering why we went to this town. Later in Amsterdam I bought a book about Suzdal to see what I did not see on that trip. This is what I found.
It was indeed a terrible trip back via Wladimir to Moscow again. We arrived in the hotel around 12 at night without having seen anything. Fortunately I had my Russian translator next to me and he told me about his work.
The bus of Gravilov
Gravilov told me in the bus that he also had a bus which he used for his work. He explained me that he had made computers by himself. Originally he was an engineer. These small computers he had installed in his bus. With this bus he went to the rural areas around Saratov where he lived. In the villages he asked people opinions about different issues of their life. The questions and the possible answers were presented on the computer screen and they had to answer the questions by pressing the button with the number of their preferred answer. I was extremely impressed by the work he did. Above I present a photo of his bus and below we see the people answering questions.
Gravilov told me in the bus that he also had a bus which he used for his work. He explained me that he had made computers by himself. Originally he was an engineer. These small computers he had installed in his bus. With this bus he went to the rural areas around Saratov where he lived. In the villages he asked people opinions about different issues of their life. The questions and the possible answers were presented on the computer screen and they had to answer the questions by pressing the button with the number of their preferred answer. I was extremely impressed by the work he did. Above I present a photo of his bus and below we see the people answering questions.
Some years later I presented the idea of the Telepanel in London. After my presentation British researchers told me that you might do something like this in The Netherlands but not in England. Then I presented them this photo of the bus of Gravilov and they had no further comment.
After the trip we kept contact for a while but I was so busy that at some point in time I lost contact. I am very sorry about that but it was too complicated.
With this story I have at least paid some tribute to this very inventive and special person.
After the trip we kept contact for a while but I was so busy that at some point in time I lost contact. I am very sorry about that but it was too complicated.
With this story I have at least paid some tribute to this very inventive and special person.
A special end of the trip
After this impressive experience I don´t think that I have to tell much about the third day of the conference. I suppose that you can imagine what happened.
The fourth day in the afternoon we were picked up by Wladimir. Duane Alwin, Robert Groves and I went with him by car to his house. He told us during the trip that he lived outside Moscow since he was not allowed to live in the city because he was not born there. The consequence was that it took him every day an hour to go to the university and one hour back. When we arrived at his house we were welcomed by his wife and his daughter. They had prepared a meal for us but of course we started with Russian drinks. After that they served us all kinds of nice pieces of meat, cheese and potatoes. All looked very nice and tasted very well combined with the strong drinks. The conversation was also nice till I detected that they offered us the nice things but they themselves were just eating the potatoes. I was very embarrassed about this and told them that I appreciate their hospitality but I would not eat anything anymore if they were not also eating something of the nice things.
Fortunately this did not lead to a problem and the evening was very nice. Occasionally we talked by candle light when the light went out which made it even more cozy. A last surprise came at the end when Wladimir around 2 at night told us that he could not bring us back because his windshield wiper was stolen and therefore he could not drive us back because it was snowing .
The solution for this problem was that we went with him to the closest highway, he stopped for us a car and paid the driver to bring us back to the hotel . This was the end of our very special trip to Moscow. As you see I have never forgotten the details of this very special meeting.
After this impressive experience I don´t think that I have to tell much about the third day of the conference. I suppose that you can imagine what happened.
The fourth day in the afternoon we were picked up by Wladimir. Duane Alwin, Robert Groves and I went with him by car to his house. He told us during the trip that he lived outside Moscow since he was not allowed to live in the city because he was not born there. The consequence was that it took him every day an hour to go to the university and one hour back. When we arrived at his house we were welcomed by his wife and his daughter. They had prepared a meal for us but of course we started with Russian drinks. After that they served us all kinds of nice pieces of meat, cheese and potatoes. All looked very nice and tasted very well combined with the strong drinks. The conversation was also nice till I detected that they offered us the nice things but they themselves were just eating the potatoes. I was very embarrassed about this and told them that I appreciate their hospitality but I would not eat anything anymore if they were not also eating something of the nice things.
Fortunately this did not lead to a problem and the evening was very nice. Occasionally we talked by candle light when the light went out which made it even more cozy. A last surprise came at the end when Wladimir around 2 at night told us that he could not bring us back because his windshield wiper was stolen and therefore he could not drive us back because it was snowing .
The solution for this problem was that we went with him to the closest highway, he stopped for us a car and paid the driver to bring us back to the hotel . This was the end of our very special trip to Moscow. As you see I have never forgotten the details of this very special meeting.