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Mr. Barlow. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Congressman Evans, it 

 is an honor to see you here today. I appeared before you back in 

 1970's and I always respected your judgment, your questions, and 

 your patience. You were always at the subcommittee hearings even 

 when it was just you and the chairman of the subcommittee. I 

 want to pay homage to you, sir. 



I have a couple of questions for you all. Generally, the theme 

 that is being developed now — and it is an understandable theme — 

 in our agricultural relations with Russia, is that we are in some 

 fashion wanting to — and it is understandable, very understand- 

 able — tie our credit and our export policy to disarmament. That is 

 very understandable because of the cold war but I am nevertheless 

 a little bit concerned. 



I too want to see both sides disarm, but if we tie agricultural 

 trade too much to disarmament, there might be a reaction on the 

 Russian side sajdng in effect, as we might in Kentucky, '*keep your 

 grain." We might see or be feeding, if we insist on too much link- 

 age, a resurgence of militarism. Would you have any comment on 

 that? 



Mr. Evans. I think there can be too much linkage and I think 

 you could generate a backlash if you pushed too hard, particularly 

 among the members of the current parliament. I think you can 

 have linkage on some things. 



You need to have linkage in some areas, but I think you can get 

 lots of leverage, adequate leverage, for the disarmament without 

 bringing food or agriculture into that linkage, and that those are 

 two things that should not be involved in those sorts of disputes 

 regarding disarmament. 



Mr. Barlow. One other question. Do you think that we might 

 keep in mind our own history in our dealings with Russia? It took 

 us a number of years back in the 1700's to go from the Declaration 

 of Independence to become a constitutional nation. Perhaps be- 

 cause of the instant television coverage we get, we might be expect- 

 ing too much. 



Constitutional government is built from the ground up. 



Mr. Evans. I agree with you totally. 



Mr. Gashler. Yes, I think we are expecting too much too early, 

 and I think that we have to provide help and reward advances in 

 democratic self-government. That is where we have to reward 

 them, in a democratic self-government. 



Mr. Barlow. Thank you, sir. One more question, Mr. Chairman. 

 Is there any opportunity for exchanging ideas and technologies in 

 conservation, soil conservation, water resource conservation, pollu- 

 tion of various areas? I think this is an area that we can develop, 

 don't you? 



Mr. Evans. Well, there is no question, and lots of people can do 

 that and one of the very first requests that I had when I went to 

 those people in the Soviet Academy of Sciences several years ago, 

 they had been asked to come up with ideas on soil conservation 

 strategies for the Soviet Union. 



So I came back and sent them all of our laws and handbooks and 

 so forth, but there is great interest in that. Many people can do it. 

 VOCA participates in it. The environmental side of things is some- 



