Soviet Union: Economic Dependence of the Soviet Union on the West

A file containing documents concerning the extent of Soviet economic dependence on the West. Documents in the file include reports suggesting that the Soviet Union was highly dependent on goods imported from Western countries, particularly food and technology. Subjects covered in the file include a great expansion in East-West trade in the 1970s; falling oil exports and a series of poor harvests, which contributed to the worsening Soviet situation; and the American view that credit for the Soviet Union should be restricted. Other subjects discussed in the file include the possible effectiveness of trade sanctions; the artificial nature of Soviet domestic prices and their limited usefulness in evaluating the general economic situation; biased Western perceptions of the situation; and a project to build a gas pipeline from Siberia to Western Europe, which offered the prospect of large contracts to Western firms.