AMERICANS IN KIEV SEE YOUTH CHIEFS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000100410008-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 17, 1999
• Sequence Number: 8
• Content Type: NSPR

sA
KR ICA} i orRelease 1999/09/17: CIA-RDP75-0QMR
HE YUU't'ti UtitLF' '.
Their Discussion Illustrat
Problems of East and ft(esi
in Exhange of Ideas
By MAX FRANKEL
Special to The New York lima.
S. ,
-The vodka and cognac were
set out in generous port)
and good fellowship had reach
the point of one chorus' "I've
been working on the railroad."
"Hgt'e is to Soviet tourist
visits to the United States!",
toasted the Americans," "Here's
to the free flow of ideas tart
news! May our countries livt'
side by side as flags staid now
on the table!"
"Here is to truth in report-
ing!" answered the Ukrainians.
The three Americans who en.
gaged in these toasts awhile
passing through lure yester-
day on a trip to obsertre the
current Soviet election- ePA-
paign comprise the first
avowedly political delegation to
the Soviet Untoo.
Members of the delegation;
are Prof. l;ichaard Scammolt
of the Governmental Affairs In-
atitute; Prof. Cyril E. Black,.
Professor of History at Prince,
ton University, and Medley W.
Donovan, managing' editor qf'
the magazine Fortune.
Study Election lll'ethods
msomo
ers wanted to
ea
Besides Kiev, they are tour?i now how youth was "organ-
Ing Leningrad, Stalingrad, Tifo' " in the United States and
lis and Tashkent, studying the, Whether it had adequate repro-
Communist party's organize. Mentatton in Congress. They
Linn of next Sundy'- _1-- -
officials about current events.,
Yesterday afternoon they
were' taken to the spacious
headquarters of the Ukrainian
Young Communist League:
(Komsomol). An earnest erticu.
late man of 85, Nikplat FCC
Kirichenko, a First Secretary of
the Ukrainian Komsomol, faced,
them from the end of a long
table bedecked with fresh ap.,
pies, mineral water and cigar.
ettes. Around the table sat the
Americans' entourage! and the
young nien and women who,
lead the youth organization. ,
In describing the group'sf
work Mr. Kirichenko noted)
that it had recruited thousands
of volunteers to build mines in.
the Donets coal bualn.He spoke
' of 80,000 volunteers who had
been sent from the Ukraine ter'
settle Bahrein' lands in Asia and
of the 100,000 who will soon be
sent to distant cattle farm, and
ntill others who are to he sent
to steel mills.
'1 Americans Show Interest
of youths aged 18 to 30. They'
were told that the mine enlist-
ments' were only for one year
but that In any case the vast
fl-ajority of 'all the youths
stayed In the jobs to which they'
were sent. Mr% Kirichenko said'
they received the same pay as:
regular workers.
Then the Americans asked
about the volunteeging proeed
ure.
"We are offended,' said If,..
Kirichenko politely, "at sugges-1
tions from abroad of compulsion
in our program. Our young
people are enthusiastic about
helping their country. The en-
thusiasm for some projects was,
so great that we could not cope
with the number of volunteers.
They' must make applications
aid we choose from them."
Practical Experience Urged
When the Americans asked
whether it was true that a
year's farm or factory work
was now mandatory for admis-
sion to universities, Mr. Kirl-,
chenko: said th auyto '
chenko bald that young people[
should have two or three years'
I
practical experience before go-
ing on to higher schools. Stu-'
dents only profit from contact
with working men std their
problems, he added.
Whenhthe visitors asked dis
creetly about the, relationship'
of the Komsomol to the Corn.)
munist party, Mr. Kirichenko
atrpightened 'up and declared:
"Komsomol, consider .It an
honor to work under the direc-
tion of the party. We are proud
of this and never conceal it,"
The Americans had to etlpiain
the' United. Bt.$tps system. The
l l
d
'.'workers" were in-Congress.
The Americana said members
of Congress were much more
,comparable to the full-time So-
viet parts' leaders than to the
legislators of the Supreme So-
viet, who come to Moscow two
or three times a year to approve
the government7-a ' program.
They added that Americans
did not look at their society as
composed of workers, peasants
and the Intelligentsia ss do the
Russian .4. They also pointed out
that without a national youth
organization young men do well
In politic and that one, Richard
M. Nixon, became Vice Presi-
dent wthen only two years older
than Mr. Kirichenko,
The Ukraisti.an hosts found it
difficult to ' lieve that mem-f
hers of Con s had to work:
full time and did not simply;
approve what the Admintstra-
ion proposed, Ukrainians asked
dgsin who. "speaks" for youth.
they seemed convinced that;
abor ,was politically disowned
In the United States.
CPYRGHT
Approved A-RDP75-00149R000100410008-1