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Western governments still bar the sale of large computers to the Soviets. Reason: the principal user of computer technology in the Soviet Union is the military. To get around the trade restrictions, the Soviets have relied on espionage. Through bribery and theft, clandestine armies of agents have obtained thousands of classified documents giving technical specifications for Western computers. Whenever possible, the Soviets have gone after the machines themselves. A favorite Soviet tactic is to set up bogus companies in Western Europe to buy computers and then smuggle them to Moscow. In recent years, the U.S. Government has seized several powerful machines that were being illegally shipped to the Soviet Union, including Digital Equipment's VAX and PDP 11/44 minicomputers.
The West got a rare inside look at the Kremlin's technological espionage last week when secret Soviet documents came to light in France. The material was obtained by French intelligence agents, who leaked it to Le Monde, the Paris newspaper, and TF1, a French government-owned television station. The documents, prepared in part by the Soviet Union's Military Industries Commission, reveal that in 1979 the country's aircraft manufacturers saved an estimated $65 million in research and development costs by using pilfered technology. Soviet aircraft engineers were able to draw upon 140 "samples" of Western hardware and 3,543 technical documents obtained through "special channels." The report said that 61% of the stolen secrets came from the U.S.
The advent of the personal computer has made it simple for the Soviets to obtain many advanced microprocessors, memory chips and other computer parts. All an agent needs to do is walk into a retail computer store, buy a machine and sneak it to Moscow for dissection and analysis. That is one reason why Western governments have eased restrictions on personal computer exports.
Even if the Soviets decide to import thousands of machines, the Kremlin is not expected to permit a Western-style computer revolution. The government has not allowed ordinary Soviet citizens to own personal computers. Even if the machines became available, few people could afford one. The Agat costs at least $3,600, far more than the typical worker's annual salary of $2,500.
The use of personal computers is being limited to places like classrooms and community centers where it can be monitored and supervised. The reason for the caution is that the personal computer threatens the Kremlin's tight control over what the Soviet people see and read. Says Olin Robison, president of Middlebury College in Vermont and a Soviet expert: "The Russians can't easily accommodate computer technology because it gives too many people too much information." Secrecy is so vital to the Soviet system that printing presses or even photocopying machines are unavailable to the average citizen. Since personal computers attached to printers can function as high-speed presses, the Kremlin is unlikely to allow them to become commonplace in Soviet homes.