Evening star., 1950-08-14
Is Russiu Ready?
(SeUenth OF a Series)
By Richard Wilson
Chief Of Washington BVrsov OF
Caviar Publications

In addition to its oil shortage
and transport weakness, the Soviet
Union suffers from an unsatis-
factory rate Of agricultural pro-
duction.
Some experts think this is Rus
sia's Achilles heel; others feel
that the Russians can fight for a
long time so long as they can
maintain their present produc-
ton of bread grains.
There seems to be no doubt,
however, that something is Seri-
ously wrong with RusSia'S agri-
cultural system. Refugees from
behind the Iron Curtain. when
questioned by American officials
usually report difficulties on the
collective farms.
Russian newspapers, following
the policy of "Samo-Kritika
(self criticiSm) frequently report
incidents of wholesale thieVery
Several hundred sheep will dis
appesr from one Kolkhoz; on an
other. thousands of bushels OF
grain will be unaccounted for.
Ukraine Farms Cited.
In the Ukraine, Communist
Party organizations are function
ing on less than half the COL
lective farms. Many things are
wrong basically with the Russian
collective system, according to
the experts.
Soviet agricultural planners lay
out operations requiring the use
of huge tractors, which tickle
their vanity, when smaller trac-
tors would be far more efhcient.
Recently, the Russians have de-
yeloped q smaller tractor which
can be operated forward and
rear for cultivation. They are
very proud of this development.
Despite Russia's claim to have
the worlds most highly mechan-
lied agriculture, much Of its crops
are grown and harvested by prim-
tive methods. When all OF the
lavish Soviet claims are boiled
down, 1t develops that the free
enterprise American farmer is
about four times as productive as
the "mechanized" Russian collec-
tive farmer.
But the Russians can and do
exist on bread alone. From the
strict military sense, they have
the advantage Of the national
energies and resources in the
West, devoted to the production
of q varied line of foods, much
of it the expensive high protein
type.
DIR. Jasny Studies Papers.
The leading authority on Rus
sian agriculture in America is
DR.. Naum Jasny, a former Rus
sian agricultural official, who has
been q conSultant to the Ameri-
can military and agricultural de-
partmentS.
DR.. Jasny is an energetic Rus
sian who works knee deep in sta
tistics in a cluttered apartment
in northwest Washington. Rus
sian farm publications are avail
able to him. He has contacts
with Russians now and he has all
the Slavic literature on agricul-
ture to draw from in addition to
his own flrSthand observation.
DR.. Jasny, conceding the weak
ness of Russian agriculture, still
does not think this alone will de-
ter the u. s. S. r. from a general
war. He feels the political-mili-
tary power welded by the state
in Russia will force the produc-
ton Of enough food to carry Rus
Sia for a long time.
But, in the long run, DR.. Jasny
believes that Russian agriculture
must be drastically reorganized.
In his reports for the Carnegie
Foundation, he said that the
Soviet Union faces an extremely
painful and prolonged process" of
recognizing its whole collective
farm system.
Breakup Is Expected.
Other experts think that once
the power residing in Moscow is
liquidated the collective farm sys-
TEN will break up overnight. Mill
tary intelligence officials are in
trigued by the possibility Git is
no more than that that the pros
pect Of an advance by American
troops into Russia proper will
precipitate a mass detection
among the Ukrainian and Lat
Wan farmers.
Huge Russian defectionS OF
peasants and troops occurred
when the Germans advanced into
Russia. A separate military force
came into being under Gen. Was.
SOW, but Hitler did not trust thest
Russians who wanted to fight th'
Reds and failed to equip tn,
VlaSsov army properly.
Had the Nazis been more hu
name in their treatment Of tht
western Russian peasants, the!
might have been able to organic
a political force of great magni'
tude against the Kremlin, some
experts think. But Hitler treatec
the peasants the same way the
Kremlin did and lost their sup.
port. The question Of what the
result might be under American
occupation methods is intriguing
Statements by Stain and Molo-
tov on Russian agriculture art
very revealing. They speak witt
pride Of the increased amounts oi
farm products extracted from tht
collectives. This is done by strong
arm methods. And If an increas