Technology Transfer and the Early Development of Soviet Computers.

This study examines the early development of computers in the Soviet Union, as well as the part that technology transfer from the West has played in that development. It outlines the conditions under which the first computers evolved, in both the East and the West, and follows the course of this evolution through third generation machines. The studys main thesis is that Soviet deficiencies in the computer field are due, at least in part, to the conscious decision on the part of the Soviets to copy from the West, rather than concentrating on the development of their own designs. The study concludes that this failure to develop a domestic computer research and design capability will have serious long-term effects on Soviet efforts to overcome the gap that exists in computing capability between the East and the West.