Ten years in a golden cage

The book presents the personal experiences of the author who spent the years from 1945 to 1955 in post-war Russia as head of a group of German scientists and engineers. Due to his perfect command of the Russian language and the significance of his professional position, he was able to get a closer insight into the life in the Soviet Union than foreigners usually have the chance to. The author met people on government level, in the ministerial administration, in research establishments and factories, and in everyday life. He tells about the deportation to the Soviet Union in 1945, the difficulties in finding a suitable site for the uranium laboratories and in starting work, and about the successful work of the group, first in Elektrostal near Moscow and later in Sungul in the Urals (1950-1952). He tells about their struggle for a return to Germany which finally came true in 1955. His report is full of interesting details about the secrecy regime, planned economy, training of Soviet scientists and experts, the situation of the group of German experts and their behaviour, the living standard and political life in the Soviet Union, the Lyssenko affair. The author's impression is that the deeply solidified structures of state capitalism will not permit a profound change of the economic system in the Soviet Union, but trends towards liberalisation are detectable. (orig./HSCH)