43 



identified, then we come back over here and we look at those 

 needs. What if it's a product over here that there's no surplus? 



Mr. Severin. If we're serious about it, we'll manufacture it and 

 provide it. 



Mr. Allard. Are you suggesting that we bid it out to various 

 companies? Is that what you're suggesting? 



Mr. Severin. Yes, but I would get this done in a very expeditious 

 manner, because it's been mentioned here this morning that time 

 is money. 



Mr. Allard. Yes. 



Mr. Severin. And, again, the Russians remember all the things 

 that we did to help them in World War II with lend-lease, and they 

 look at us as being good and effective business people, and they ex- 

 pect us to not only do things, but to do them in a timely way, and 

 they expect us to do them, to carry out. 



Mr. Allard. It might be that there's not a demand for certain 

 American products in Russia because they don't know about them. 

 They don't know the value of it. Can we educate those people to 

 appreciate those products? And if we can, what's the best medium 

 to do that? 



Mr. Severin. I'd start right off with making sure that institu- 

 tional feeding, in one way or another, for the children would incor- 

 porate that in a subtle, subliminal way, to start with. Friends of 

 mine there now, I say, "I'm coming over. What can I bring for you?" 

 "Bring me two plastic cans of peanut butter, creamy, not chunky." 

 Communications has helped ever so much in broadening their 

 world of experience, their world of knowledge, and they're no longer 

 subject to the central press, to the central media, the way they 

 were before Gorbachev left. 



Mr. Allard. Is there opportunity through their various types of 

 media to get our message across as to what's available? 



Mr. Severin. They're hooked on America. The first time I saw 

 youngsters wearing their baseball caps backwards was over there 

 last summer. I came home and found it here. 



Mr. Allard. Thank you. 



Mr. Penny. Ms. McKinney. 



Ms. McKinney. Nothing, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Penny. Keith, we do appreciate your testimony this morning. 

 I know that you also had some thoughts about the presence of For- 

 eign Ag Service personnel within the former Soviet Union. Maybe 

 you could elaborate for us this morning as to how we could better 

 spread our resources and better serve the local need through the 

 FAS. 



Mr. Severin. I don't know if the word "spread" is quite appro- 

 priate. There are certainly more resources needed. What FAS is 

 doing here, they're doing a pretty good job, but, fi'ankly, they're 

 strapped, and we need more resources within the former Soviet 

 Union, and we need more people. Everybody has suddenly discov- 

 ered Russia, and it's a good thing to study that Russian language 

 and Kazakh and some of these other funny things we haven't 

 thought about before. 



I would do my utmost to encourage young people to come into the 

 Foreign Agricultural Service and to take those who are ready to go 

 out, get them out there, and I would certainly embark on a con- 



