Alumni Hear 'Frontiers of Knowledge' Forums

A composite picture of an energetic Russia slowly overcoming her serious internal weaknesses emerged from yesterday's faculty colloquium on "The Soviet Union Today," held before a large crowd of reuners in Paine Hall.

Four profesosrs discussed aspects of contemporary Soviet education, economy, public attitudes, and life in the satellites --most of them speaking on the basis of recent trips behind the Iron Curtain.

Centering largely on a description of Moscow University, Merle Fainsod, professor of Government, stressed the "driving dedication to science and technology" which makes a Russian scientific education "equal to the best this country has to offer." He gave much lower marks, however, to Soviet instruction in humanities and the social sciences.

Economy Discussed

Abram Bergson, professor of Economics, pointed out that Premier Nikita Khrushchev's extraordinary efforts to increase Russia's extraordinary efforts to increase Russia's agricultural production and ease the shortage of consumer goods have been only partly successful, due mainly to Russia's generally weak farming resources. In industry, on the other hand, it was pointed out that the Soviet Union "has been growing twice as fast as the U.S. in recent years," and Bergson suggested that the day inevitably would come when Russia surpassed U.S. industrial output unless this country greatly steps up its effort.

A glance at Russian public opinion and attitudes was provided by Alex Inkeles, professor of Sociology, who told the audience that "many Soviet citizens have been profoundly alienated from the regime" by the Stalinist terror and the miserably depressed standard of living.

Zbigniew K. Brzezinski, assistant professor of Government, finished the discussion with an outline of life in Poland, the weakening of revolutionary Marxist spirit and the disillusionment caused by the destalinization campaign.