Letters to the Editor

To the Editor: The news that the Soviets have raised many‐fold the cost of exit visas for educated Jews who desire to emigrate should serve as a lesson to those who think it is possible to conduct normal trade relations with the Russians. Trade and emigration may seem too dissimilar to mention together, but news stories often do these days, and the Soviets certainly have a similar outlook upon both.

While placing any restrictions on emigration is abhorrent to the civilized mind, the point here is that the Russians set a price on the emigration of Jews and raised expectations, found the demand to be considerable, and consequently raised the price. The Soviets’ object is not to curtail emigration, for they easily can forbid it entirely, or selectively. Rather, they view it as a commercial deal and are convinced that world Jewry will meet their price.

This mirrors traditional Russian trading practice, which has not altered one iota under the Soviets. Some other recent examples will serve as illustrations. Some years ago the Soviets sold exclusive publishing and distributing rights to their best Russian‐English and English‐Russian dictionaries for the ridiculously low price of $200 to get their foot into the American academic book business. The Soviets used to export their own books to the West at very low prices, but, sensing profits in the post‐Sputnik academic market, these prices have recently gone up considerably. They have increased, the export prices of many of their cholarly journals so that they now cost more than comparable American ones.

About three years ago Soviet libraries suddenly increased the price of exported used books tenfold in their exchanges with American libraries. In another instance, a French firm specializing in Soviet books computerized its operations, whereupon the Russians absorbed all the firm's potential savings by substantially lowering its discount.

One could continue, but the point is clear: over the centuries the Russians have not. learned how to trade. Whether they are dealing with books or human beings, they will start out at a reasonable level to initiate exchange; if there is any demand, the sky is the limit. Anyone who fails to recognize this in his commercial dealings with the Russians will come to grief.

JONATHAN DICKS Chicago, Aug. 19, 1972