DIARY
TRIP TO MOSCOW/PRAGUE
JANUARY 15-22, 1995
Sunday, 15 January
on boarding the Lufthansa flight, Frankfurt to Moscow, we
had to identify our bags on the runway, next to the airplane. I
did so. On arriving in Moscow (6:50 p.m.) however, my two bags
did not appear. A Lufthansa employee informed me that the plane
to Moscow had been overweight, and some bags were held back in
Frankfurt. They would come to Moscow on the next flight, they
said, at 10:10 that night, and then be delivered.
The airport was dark and fairly dingy, a good introduction
to the realities of Moscow. I found an agent who accompanied me
to the crowded welcoming area, where I met Professor Antonov,
assuring him that I had arrived; and securing the address of my
residence to be. I then went back into the baggage area, filled
out the forms for misplaced bags, and returned to meet Prof.
Antonov.
He is an amiable man, age 55, with some halting English. An
older colleague of his, who spoke no English, drove us to Moscow
in his car. As it turned out, I was staying in a "visiting
faculty" apartment at Moscow University, inside the
extraordinary/hideous highrise built by prisoners (German or
Russian, depending on who tells the story). On entering, Antonov
discovered that the elevators were not working. We climbed the
six floors (again, space marked by grime and irrepair). one of
his graduate students, Alla, and a phalanx of older women who
appear to run the place, met us at the top. I was shown to my
"flat," two small, dorm-like rooms sharing a toilet and shower.
Each room had a television and refrigerator. I paid $120 (which
turned out to cover the four days). ‘The level of sanitation was
low, by American standards (but above average, by Moscow
standards). Fortunately, I had one change of underwear in my
carry-on bag, so I showered (sending a cockroach scurrying away),
changed, and’went to sleep. I was glad to have my five bottles
of American drinking water along, since no potable water was
immediately available.Monday, 16 Januar:
After a fitfull night's sleep, Antonov arrived at my door
promptly at 9:30 a.m., accompanied by Tania Sokolova, a graduate
Student who would serve as my interpreter for most of the visit.
A few words on Antonov: His interest in my work, I
concluded was genuine. He is Chairman of the Sociology
Department at Moscow University (in the Russian context,
comparable to holding the same post at Harvard). His influence
extend widely. I found his own views on family and demographic
fissues to be sound. Attached is a statement he issued regarding
the United Nations Draft Declaration on the Family, which is very
close to my own views. On the abortion issue, his views are
complex. He opposes abortion, but says it is impractical at this
{ime to push the issue in Russia; about 90 percent of adult
Russian women have had an abortion. To call for legislation
implicitly defining them as murderers would be difficult now, he
says. Currently, he is focusing his work on the startling
demographic disaster overtaking Russia (more on that later).
A few words on Tania Sokolova. Like many of her generation
that I met, her eyes are turned westward. Whilé a sociology
student, she hopes to work in business. At present, she holds a
part-time job with the Mars Candy corporation. She visited the
United States in 1988 as a participant in a "Samantha Smith" camp
in Maine.
Antonov had arranged for use of a University van and driver.
A 14-year-old girl, daughter of sociologist Victor Medco)
accompanied us. She was sweet and shy, and studying English in
School. We drove around Moscow for a while, then stopped at
Pizza Hut(!) for breakfast. We continued the driving tour,
including several traffic snarls caused by abandoned vehicles.
About eight-ten inches of snow covered the ground. "Snow fog"
would fill the sky. The air itself was hazy brown, suffering
from pollution resembling that of California, two decades back.
The Russians use little, if any, salt to melt ice, and the roads
and sidewalks are treacherous: ‘several inches of ice covered by
the morning's snow is a common walking surface.
At 1:30 p.m., we arrived back at the Sociology Department,
Moscow State University, a "modern" glass building desperately in
need of cleaning, fresh’ paint, and catch-up maintenance. Several
of the faculty members had prepared a nice lunch, featuring
Salmon caviar sandwiches (among other types). Those attending
included Victor Medcov and Tatiana Selezneva, along with a half-
dozen graduate students. I gave.a short talk on the Institute,
and we drank several toasts.3
My baggage had still not arrived, and morning calls by me to
tufthansa had proved futile (the Lufthansa contacts were very
bureaucratic--"not my department" and so on). Antonov mobilized
his whole department toward recovering my bags, even to the point
of posting graduate students on hourly shifts at the University
guard station, in case Lufthansa delivered the bags. While
eating, word Game that one bag was in Moscow, and the other still
in Frankfurt. Both would be delivered at 6:30 p.m., that
evening.
At 3 p.m., we walked to another building, and met with the
Director of the University's Center for Population Study, Valery
Elizarov. We shared a bottle of Vodka, while discussing the
causes of Russia's demographic implosion: the decline in the
birth rate to 1.4, and the soaring death rate. Elizarov believed
that these developments were caused by the difficult transition
from a planned economy to a market system, and that the figures
would improve once the transition had been worked through. (At a
later time, Antonov told me that he disagreed with Elizarov.
Antonov held that Russia's demographic implosion could be traced
further back, to about 1980. He stressed the full collapse of
the home economy and household production, the widespread turn to
abortion, and social stress prior to Communism's fall, for the
birth rate decline. "Behavorial factors" lay behind the rising
male deathrate, ranging from vodka consumption[!] to an
unsustainable urban society.)
We reboarded the University van, and the driver took us to
the apartment home of Ivan Schevcsenko. He is an artist
(painter) of considerable skill. He also is Chairman of The
Orthodox Brotherhood of Scientists and Specialists ("FAVOR"). In
the last election, he stood as a Pro-Family candidate for
election to the Dumas, under the Platform, "Family-Land-Home:
Fatherland," urging the renewal of family production and payment
of a family wage to men. TI liked this fellow. He had the beard
and eyes of a young Solzehitsyn. Schevcsenko is married and has,
I believe, five children crowded into a very small apartment,
along with thirty or so paintings (many of large size), icons,
antique Russian furniture, and a "New Year's Tree" (our Christmas
tree). He is also a photographer (and very able), as well as a
friend of American jazz (there were a number of photos of
American jazz greats playing in his apartment).
Schevesenko wanted to talk "business." He sought help in
organizing/recruiting for an international conference on the
family planned that summer at an Orthodox monestary, near Moscow.
I replied that I had been thinking, myself, about working to
convene a conference of fairly compatible "pro family" groups
from across the globe, to serve as a kind of informal Congress of
Families with the purposes of (1) defining the common pressures
on families in modern countries, vis-a-vis state and ec 1, and
(2) drafting an "appeal" or "declaration" to the governments of4
the world, including common demands. Such a conference, however,
would not be possible until mid-1996 at the earliest, I said.
After considerable discussion, I agreed to begin sounding out
other organizations regarding interest and contemplating issues
of location and cost. They agreed to send me a draft of a
possible program, for my response.
Following more vodka toasts, we departed, returning to
Moscow University via the Metro system. It's a fine old subway,
and the stations are unusually elaborate. But I was tired.
Reaching my room--great joy!--I found my bags awaiting me. My 28
hours in Moscow without fresh clothes, shampoo, etc., had come to
an end. I went to sleep, content with the world.
Tuesday, 17 January
Antonov and Tania picked me up at 9:30 a.m. He had secured
a university van again, so we had breakfast at McDonalds(!), and
then went to the Kremlin. It was very cold and very windy, with
two inches of fresh snow on the ground. I regretted having
forgotten my scarf, back in Rockford, but otherwise kept warn.
We visited two of the Cathedrals in the Kremlin: The
Annunciation; and St. Michaels. Both were stunning. They asked
if I wanted to see Lenin's Mausoleum, and I said yes. So we
walked back through the Kremlin gate, and circled around to Red
Square. There was no line, but a steady flow of people to see
the old Bolshevik. Tania agreed with the view that "God has
punished Russia for leaving Lenin unburied," a punishment that
would end only when they gave him a decent burial, back in his
St. Petersburg home.
Generally, I sensed that Lenin still enjoys some respect,
while Stalin is blamed for ugliness and mass death and Brezhnev
for backwardness and inefficiency (the Russians kept referring to
his time, 1965-85, as "the period of stagnation"). Moscow,
itself, seems most like a dream, where inconsistent or even
contradictory things exist side-by-side (e.g, the neon "Marlboro"
sign with the Red Stars atop the Kremlin spires).
After a quick sweep through G.U.M. (which is much closer to
an American shopping mall than to the department store I had
envisioned), we walked’to visit The Research Institute for the
Family, part of The Ministry for Social Protection of the Russian
Federation (very roughly equivalent to the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services). Many surprises awaited me. I first
met with Dr. Sergey V. Darmodekhin, Director of the Institute.
After somewhat ritualized descriptions of each other's
Institutes, he produced the first two issues of a new
publication, THE FAMILY IN RUSSIA. The name, he said, was
consciously adapted from Rockford's THE FAMILY IN AMERICA, and
for the same reason: the family pre-exists state and nation.5
Issue #3, he said, would feature a translation of my "Family and
Constitution" essay. He then showed me a copy, in Russian
translation, of my 1989 article, "A Pro-Family Income Tax," which
had appeared two-years ago in a social science journal. This
article, he said, is having "great influence" among Russian
Federation officials, as they labor to restructure the nations
income tax.
Following further conversation, Darmodekhim produced a draft
"protocol" regarding cooperation between The Rockford Institute,
his Research Institute for the Family, and The Chair of Family
Sociology at Moscow University. It aimed at:
1) pfeparation of a joint issue or issues of "The Family in
Russia" and "The Family in America";
2) the publication of A. Carlson's work in Russia;
3) development of a joint research project concerning
common family problems in the U.S. and Russia;
4) an exchange of publications between the three
institutions;
5) an exchange of advertising information;
6) naming of A. Carlson as a member of the Academic Board
of the Research Institute for the Family, as a public
consultant. °
Following discussion of the draft, it was clear that this
protocol would involve our Family Center only to the degree that
we chose to be involved. We then adjourned to another room.
There, I was greeted by about twenty-five researchers/scholars at
the Institute. I gave a thirty minute talk on the nature of the
family debate in the U.S. Many questions followed. One of the
researchers--Vladimir Borisov, Chief of Family Demographic
Problems--had a much circulated, privately bound, xerox copy of
FAMILY QUESTIONS, which he asked me to sign.
Following brandy and toasts, the three of us signed a
protocol in another room.
Antonov, Tania, and I then took the Metro to the House of
the Sciences, operated by the Russian Academy of Science. This
building had’been an aristocrat's home, prior to the revolution,
and sat across the street from the Tolstoy house. It was full of
beautiful French-style* furniture. Following drinks, we attended
a special "Demography" lecture by one of the Academy members
(half a dozen public lectures, on other subjects, went on
elsewhere in the building, apparently an average schedule for a
week-day night). Following a long-winded introduction by a
Senior Demographer, and a "Memoriam" to a recently deceased
member, the presentation began. .It offered new data on birth and
death rates in the Russian Federation: the numbers had worsened
since the last report. Average male life expectency had now
fallen to 57 years. if current figures held for another 256
years, the population of the Russian Federation would fall_in
half!
Following the lecture, we were met outside by Eugeny,
antonov's brother-in-law. (A very friendly fellow, he worked in
construction. We went to his home, where a "party" was held in
my honor. ‘The food came in three courses and was excellent.
This was the best meal I had while in Russia. Among the guests
was a former diplomat, who now made his living doing translation.
His English was very good. The party ended at 11 p.m., and I was
back to my room by 11:30 p.m., quite tired.
jeans 8 Januar
in the morning, T. Seleznova brought a small breakfast to my
room. At 9:30 a.m., we joined Tania, and were picked up by a
driver and van. First, they took me shopping, at a somewhat
obscure department store, where the standard Russian souvenirs
were of high quality and very cheap. We then made quick trips to
an Art Gallery featuring a display of icons and also a display on
Russian art from the 1930's (when "Soviet Realism" was the order
of the day). Then we travelled, by van, to the Pushkin Museum,
which has a fascinating, if very eclectic collection of art from
ancient Greek vases and Egyptian artifacts to Picasso. Two fine
paintings by L. Cranach the Elder were of particular interest.
on our way to the next appointment, we became ensnarled in a
huge traffic jam, and arrived 45 minutes late. Antonov was
waiting with a former student of his, Elena Feokistova, First
Deputy Director, Department of Family, Women, and Childrens
Affairs, Ministry of Social Protection. I enjoyed the
conversation very much, as we debated the need to meet current
emergencies versus a strategy that would strengthen families, as
well as the problems of reconciling family autonomy with the
reality of "inadequate" parents. She asked me to share
information with her regarding American welfare reforn.
We then dashed, via van and on foot, over to an office
pbuilding for members of the Dumas. This vast place had
previously been the center for Gosplan, the Soviet Central
Economic Planning Agency. Together with the Bolshoi (see below),
this was the only truly clean place that I encountered on the
trip. After going through security, we were met by an aide, and
wisked upstairs into the office of Ekaterina Lakhova, member of
‘the Dumas, leader of The Women's Faction in the Dumas, and head
of The Social Movement of the Women of Russia. She combined the
qualities and posts of Gloria Steinem, Pat Schroeder, and Bella
fbzug. I think Antonov took me to-meet her so I would understand
What he was up against (he kept calling her "feminiska"). Her
office was enormous and lavishly appointed (the Russians fear
that they have traded in their Communists in exchange for7
Bureaucrats and self-serving politicians). We talked for forty-
five minutes, she doing most of the talking. She was one of the
few Russians I met who felt comfortable discussing the messy war
down in Chehtnya (characteristically, she blamed it on a "male
way of thinking"; "if there had been more women in the Dumas,
this never would have happened").
Following the visit with Lakhova, the van and driver (who
resembled the Swedish film star Max Von Sydow, but with Cossack
hat and bad teeth) took me back to my room at the University,
where I just had time to change for attendance at the Bolshoi
Ballet. Antonov had arranged for his 16-year old neice, Helena
(daughter of Eugeny), to accompany me. She is studying English
and loves the ballet (she once danced, she said, but her mother
“fed me too many dumplings"). Like the majority of Moscow
children, she is an only child.
Eugeny and Helena picked me up at 6 p.m. She was dressed in
a very fancy gown, and had a feathery white coat. She was very
sweet, but nervous and shy. We arrived at the Bolshoi Theatre at
6:30 p.m. It was smaller than I had anticipated, and must seat
well under 1000. We sat in the third row--excellent seats. The
orchestra pit was quite large, as was the stage. The odd
combination of old and new was again jarring. The beautiful,
golden tapestry curtain featured the letters "Cccp" and the
Hammer and Sickle design, while the Ballet Program bore the logo,
"Samsung Electronics." This was a special night: it marked the
1,500 performance of "Swan Lake" by the Bolshoi, since the
ballet's debut in 1877. My words cannot do justice to the beauty
of the performance. It was better in kind, not just in degree,
than any ballet I have ever seen. The prima ballerina, Nina
Ananiashilly, did spins that seemed humanly impossible, with
grace and precision. The male dancers were superb, "flyin
rather than merely jumping on their leaps. The closing scene was
so wonderfully done, that tears rose in my eyes. I left
wondering how a nation that seems to have trouble producing a
usable sheet of paper can also produce something of unworldly
beauty such as this. Eugeny picked us up after the ballet, and I
was back to my room by 10:30 p.m.
Thursday, 19 January
This day, T. Seleznova took me on a tour of the rest of the
central building of Moscow University, a weird combination of
skyscraper, Masonic architecture, and Stalin's own personal
taste. The structure has a Pentagon-like bulk, and it is easy to
imagine becoming lost in the place. The rooms of the school
administration were nicely finished in wood and wall hangings.
Here, we ran into difficulty getting my visa registered with the
school registrar. I never understood the whole problem (I
believe my Russian hosts were embarrassed by some bureacrat8
throwing around his/her weight), but Antonov had to intervene
again to encourage the central office to sign and release my
passport and visa. Meanwhile, I had a fairly bad bowl of soup,
bread, and two soda bottles for my breakfast (my own water
bottles, brought over from Rockford, ran out the night before,
and I was very thirsty; the tap water is unfit to drink).
We then journeyed over to the University's Sociology
Department, where old friend Larry Uzzell, now resident in Moscow
as a representative of The Jamestown Foundation, joined us.
Larry's Russian is fairly good, and he appreciated the
introduction to Antonov. His opinions will be of help, as will
his future guidance in broadening contacts. We closed the
meeting with the exchange of books, signatures, and small gifts.
A group of six saw me back to my room, where I retrieved my
luggage, and said goodbye. Eugeny drove me to the airport, with
Antonov along. He had a number of questions to ask (e.g., what
is the story behind Lyndon LaRouche, whose organization is very
active in Russia; could I introduce him to David Popence). He
also told me that, before seeking his doctorate in sociology, he
had been a poet, publishing several collections of verse before
the authorities prevented it. His work was "too pessimistic" in
its portrayal of Soviet life. (Note: Be sure to send to Antonov
a copy of P.D. James' novel, THE CHILDREN OF MEN).
Departure from the Moscow airport was uneventful. Munich
airport, my transfer point, is much nicer than Frankfurt.
Arrival at Prague Airport (a relatively small place) was the
same, where Michaela Freiova of the Civic Institute met me. A
driver took us to the Zlata Praha, or "Golden Prague" Hotel, a
small place, in an old residential neighborhood, on a hill. I
slept eagerly and well, disturbed only by the barking of a
kennelled German Shephard, two doors down, about every two hours
(this annoyance, in an otherwise fine hotel, would be repeated
every night).
day, 20 Januas
I woke about 8 a.m., took a breakfast of cold meats and
cheeses, and left for a walk. About four inches of snow lay on
the ground, as I trundled down the hill, unsure of quite where I
was going. A hour later, I reached "Prague Castle," site of st.
vitus' Cathedral, the National Art Gallery, historical museums,
the '0ld Palace,’ Burial Site of the Bohemian Kings (and Holy
Roman Emporer Charles IV), Presidential Palace for the Czech
Republic, The Lobkowicz palace, and a variety of other buildings.
I had time only to tour the Cathedral and the Monestary Chapel
that day; the Cathedral was wonderfully Gothic, with fascinating
side Chapels. Emporer Ferdinand I is buried right in the middle.