Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!husc6!mailrus!uflorida!novavax!proxftl!twwells!bill
From: bill@twwells.uucp (T. William Wells)
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: I'm pro Russian
Keywords: Soviet, UUCP network
Message-ID: <222@twwells.uucp>
Date: 28 Nov 88 18:33:31 GMT
References: <192@s1.sys.uea.ac.uk> <2326@cbnews.ATT.COM> <7961@dasys1.UUCP> <2338@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Reply-To: bill@twwells.UUCP (T. William Wells)
Organization: None, Ft. Lauderdale
Lines: 42

In article <2338@cbnews.ATT.COM> lvc@cbnews.ATT.COM (Lawrence V. Cipriani) writes:
: Before I give anyone else the impression that I'm a knee jerk Anti-Soviet
: I'm not.  I can see the value in corrupting the Soviet system with a USENET
: feed, and yes it would be interesting to have the technical exchange with
: our counterparts in the Soviet Union.  However, I remain unconviced that
: help to someone I don't know in the Soviet Union is in my long term self
: interest or national interest.

Here is what I've said about a Soviet newsfeed:

1) The Soviets can already get any information they want from the
   USENET.  It is very easy for *anyone* to get on the net.

2) Therefore, the only thing that a feed directly to them can effect
   is the cost of the information. It can't affect *what* information
   they get from the net.

3) It is an arguable proposition that lesser expense of a non-
   clandestine feed to the Soviet empire is outweighed by its
   possible destabilizing effects.

I happen to believe that the destabilizing effect is the more
important. However, that's just an opinion; we don't have the facts.

: I really do like helping people with technical problems.  But how can
: I be certain that the help I give will not be used against me someday?

However, there is one benefit that a known Soviet feed gives you: you
can refrain from answering Soviet questions. There are two
possibilities: if they maintain their clandestine feeds, they now
have an additional cost, the cost of the known feed. This eliminates
the cost argument against the feed.  If they don't maintain their
clandestine feed, then you *know* when you might be contributing to
the Soviet empire's welfare.

There is another benefit to us and our intelligence agencies: the
nature of the questions coming over the feed is information about the
state of the Soviet empire.

---
Bill
{uunet|novavax}!proxftl!twwells!bill