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6/15/1958 - By Air to Tashkent by Walter D. Friedenberg

INSTITUTE OF CURRENT XORLD AFFAIRS Hotel Tashkent WDF By Air Tashkent Tashkent Uzbekistan S S R U S S R June Mr alter S Rogers Institute Current World Affairs Fifth Avenue New York New York Dear Mr Rogers The Aeroflot plane Tashkent perched packed earth apron Kabul airport It propeller plane similar American Convair giant CCCP Russian USSR painted shining fuselage The Russians loudly trying avoid paying excess baggage charge airline office apparently weren success They still quite agitated walked plane Once across rickety I expected greeted hostess prettier better Instead there sturdy Russian steward dressed ordinary sport shirt trousers motioned slammed though slammi hatch The plane gathered speed I airborne bumping corrugated earth runway suddenly stopped towards turned brown ridge plane banked sharply proper northerly direction I thought maybe pilot veteran fully transition combat commercial flying But straightened brown barren hills Afghanistan My Russian fellow travellers Nyet English there other passengers dressed trimly Nestern European suits contrast baggy suited Russians Yes They Czechs industrial machinery salesmen Prague route investigating market India They disdainful plane looking forward boarding Jet Tashkent getting hurry On I another Russians They looked pretty proletarian The plane barly furnished I could manage refreshment glass water There abundant supply magazines however Russian One cover showing rocket zooming through space toward distant planet All judge photographs smiling school children workers houses hydro electric power stations soccer players about Soiet Union I began dizzy altitude The steward pointed Oxygen We rubber noses The Russians looked other began smiling WD I looked smiled looked other laughed A little altitude cultural exchange Now wrinkled peaked mountains Hindu Kush running desert Pamirs Afghanistan Russia China Kashmir nobody LookinE white peaks stretched broken series horizon Looking occasional lonely frozen round green No again mountains behind oxygen masks monotonous desert earth blown looked smooth Tice across miles appeared blotch green silled floor oasis The plane slowly smoothness dunes ripled currents Suddenly standing still figures animals camel caravan The desert until dreary suddenly became hopeless destination could those Thenahead rving around lowly river Oxus Amu bordered narrow green strip plots water other Russian river bordered fields interrupted small quays beyond streets houses Termez oasis entry 3oiet The plane hardly pulled clump trees secluded cottage Administration Building buxom blonde appeared doorway plane asked loudly cheerfully Does speak English I I Are _ri_t asked I Yes Here doctor announced pointing looking young Then explanation She hostess Moscow Termez temporari guarding against small epidemic India I produced accination document which still entitled small But result conference doctor I would reaccination three years That offer furthermore compulsory I rolled sleeve The Czechs caught exchange The doctor nurse nature about tried ciprocate Then their building Customs inspection By I finished small entered their quarters three uniformed Customs busilypicklng apart baggage Russian passengers The looked presents openlng Christmas plain wrappers The Russians brought razors shaving mirrors shoes women blouses cooking utensils household They quite shopping Kabul seemed there nothing I could I thought could classified luxury My I filled Customs their office purple handed Customs ficer warlng thick lensed glasses He beckoned topenmy carry practised hands quickly disarranged clothes asked accent There Vague flick association assassination I No Any books That surprise Theonly I asked before East Pakistsn Customs wanted glish books personal library I Yes Russian Show I brought dictionary borrowed books about Russia United States Information Servicelibrary Kabul One American ether Englishman critical Sevlet Union They bottom I The Customs looked briefly through dictionary looked Then began careful examination other books He called colleague looked through I think having little trouble English Then first asked additional question Do papers The flash association seditious handbills dropped streets night I Yes personal papers letters forth He asked I handed Taking books papers disappeared For while I there cntemplating topics The Totali tarian Mind Open Shut Freedom Expression Soviet Union Cultural Exchange Between America Russia Then I money changed waspish young Exchange table marked Buffet snack chives cucumbers cream black bread cheese green glass Afterwards I resumed watch Customs office Presently inspector returned Where leaving Soviet Union asked brokenly Right I I going Kabul He nodded handed books papers quite fragile Eerything hesaid books papers pleaseshowwhenyou Ieae For moment I piqued I wished I could Leningrad Moscow whether would seized books burned Then I thought Why these frightened children I laughed My introduction Russia through We again desert But passing fields striped green fields crops Now again there would cluster thatched roofs walls villages parts India But those great fields WD1 without paths parcels different And Tashkent spread below buildings outskirts closer inside older buildings through criss cross cover trees along streets Our plane taxied along concrete runway toward handsome airport building slick Jets crowded runway The Russians modern airport At slight young shock blown brown called smile Hello You Mr Walter I Yes turned young companion laughed I He introduced himself Haffiz something friend Nicholas We Haffiz grandly Intourist We airport welcome 3oiet Union They other laughed again They seemed slightly I front entrance terminal there while I stood steps looked around As people seemed strange familiar Eur opeans again stocky blond Russians moving quickly certainty By their modest clothes luggage certainly prosper travel people I elsewhere They travellers A boulevard straight toward terminal I watched It painted streamline around windshield When pulled front steps driver applied brakes there familiar beefy snorting sound buses quickly There Apowop Once became Greek Airport All right I myself Russian But difference between Communist Communist I could difference between Russian Indian bullock Russian Indian India I thought I could something about different But I couldn difference between Russian American I disappointed there seemed distinction The looked normal routine May would appear normal routine How country Could actually visit country without finding liing really mistake How important country anyway country My Intourist escorts finally explanation there We medium sized model Volga boulevard toward downtown We about Kabul They friendly laughing It finally dawned drinking At hotel plump matron showed oerstuffed tended obviously Haffiz excused himself there would program today Sunday Today proclaimed Soiet people their For I Joined Soiet eople Received New October