Author Topic: Letter from a Veteran Army Ranger  (Read 2708 times)

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Xavier_Onassis

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Re: Letter from a Veteran Army Ranger
« Reply #30 on: January 28, 2015, 09:33:58 PM »
There were plenty of simple things that Nixon did not know as well.

Khrushchev was  a very, very clever Ukrainian politician, and note that he managed to grab Crimea (which had never had many Ukrainian residents and still doesn't) for his Republic. He also managed to increase grain production, especially corn, which was not a usual Soviet crop by an impressive amount.  I suppose that to Americans. he is only important because of his foreign policy, but for the USSR, he was the best of the Soviet leaders from a domestic standpoint.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."

Plane

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Re: Letter from a Veteran Army Ranger
« Reply #31 on: January 28, 2015, 10:42:07 PM »
    I heard about Kruchev and the corn, but the version I caught was that corn was not a success in Russian cultivation.
     I have also read that his contribution to production and salvage was very important to WWII , and that he was very astute in this respect.
     Then I read that he was unable to believe that telephones and cars were as commonplace in the USA as they were, he thought the figures were faked.
      Then when he claimed that he was making missiles "like sausages" he was believed.

      Krucheiv was no dummy, but he was stuck with being the boss of the USSR which had practically outlawed telling the truth.
   

Xavier_Onassis

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Re: Letter from a Veteran Army Ranger
« Reply #32 on: January 29, 2015, 02:10:19 PM »
I have just ordered a book I have been planning to read for a long time, Khrushchev on Khrushchev, by Nikita's son, Sergei.

It got good reviews. Sergei has lived in the US for years, and understands what Americans do and do not know about the USSR.

The people making missiles for our military wanted to believe that  the USSR was making missiles like sausages, as did the states that had missile factories and component factories. Americans have always been easily scared, and were very gullible in those days. I think the teachers who explained to us that we would all be safe from nuclear attacks if we just hid under our desks. I went home one day and asked my father if he thought the Russians would bomb the Chevrolet Plant in Leeds and Claycomo Ford, and he told me to stop worrying, he thought it was a bunch of nonsense.

After that I stopped worrying as much as the other kids.
"Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana."