Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-09-02
RED CARPET
SovietsHove
WeIcomefor
ourists
By VERN HAUGLAND

1t may not rival Paris, London or
New York as a rubberneck's vaca-
ton dream spot, but the Russians
are pushing Moscow as q tourist
attraction.
Soviet officials say they have
granted visas to some $500 Ameri-
can tourists this year. This Is many
times more than were issued In all
the years Of the Stain regime, and
it's trend that apparently will con-
tinue.
II you have the urge to see Rus
STA and can afford it-and II the
United States State Department
doesn't object to your going
brother. you're in.
You'll get there most readily on
. scheduled tour because it's easier
for the Russians to handle you that
way. But you can get in individu-
ally, too-and, unless you're some
one special, you probably won't be
followed or spied upon or annoyed.
You'll be largely on your own,
and you'll be able to travel to some
far corners Of the Soviet Union
provided you make the arrange
ments well in advance and stick to
them once they're made. If you try
to change things once they're put
In motion, or if you fail to make
adequate advance preparations,
you'll find yourself hog-tied and
buried In all the frustrating red
tape Of the greatest bureaucracy in
the world.
The Gruesome Twosome
No. / tourist attraction in Moscow
Is the gruesome twosome In the big
mausoleum on Red Square. In
credibly long lines Of Russians, pa
tiently wait their turn to get in for
a quick look at the embalmed bodies
OF Lenin and Stain. The line per-
sists. rain or hottest sun, and at
night when the mauSoleum is closed
people cluster in front of it. You
see them standing there, just look
ing, at midnight and as late as 2 or
Sam.
WeSterners in Moscow refer to
the occupants Of the mausoleum.
among themselves, as the "cold
cuts" And cold they are. You
descend broad steps into a frigid
room and there, in a glassed-in
enclosure. eerily spotlighted, are
the bodies. First you pass by
Lenin. He needs a shave, and you
mentally agree with what you have
heard-that he may not be long
for this world. Disintegration
definitely appears to have set in.
You pass on to the companion,
his face gross and lfelike. The
word in Moscow is that in line
with the current attack on the
cult of individual" the body of
Stain almost certainly will be
removed-even though it is in bet
ter condition than its roommate.
Western tourists, incidentally, do
not have to stand in the line.
Intourist. the Soviet travel service
bureau, sees to it that they are
taken to the head Of the line and
moved right in. Cameras are for
hidden.
Another. more pleasant, must for
tourists in Moscow Is the national
ballet. at the Bolshoi Theater.
Outside the Bolshoi is an unim-
pressive, weather. beaten structure.
The corridors and stairways inside
remind you of a stadium. But
when you enter the theater itself
its magnif1cence-the tiers of boxes,
the ornate walls, the bright colors
and brilliant lights-iS overwhelm-
ing. And the music, the dancing
and the stage settings are the very
finest that Russia has to offer.
The Metro-the handsome under
ground railroads. easy to visit,
and easy to travel on. The esca-
lators leading to 1t are perhaps
the longest in the world, indicating
the extreme depth Of the tunnels.
Costly mosaics, chandeliers and
statuary decorate the subterranean
stations. A 60-kopek piece (offi-
cially 121z cents) buys you a ride
wherever you want to go under
the city.
Muscovites are proud Of their big
department store, the GUM, facing
on Red Square. It's q sort Of
glaSsed-over assortment Of shops on
three floors, with several levels. of
catwalks arching across the broad
paSsageways. But In quantity, quail