American Notes East-West

Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government played host to an unusual crop of students last week. Twenty-eight senior Soviet military officers -- generals, admirals and colonels -- assembled for a two-week crash course on the relationship between the armed forces and the civilian government in the U.S. "Democracy is not an easy form of government for military professionals," said General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. "We subordinate ourselves totally to the will of the people and their elected representatives."

The failed Soviet coup nearly dismantled the conference. The invitation was accepted last March by Soviet Defense Minister Dmitri Yazov, who became one of the coup organizers. Yazov was subsequently yanked from power, but the military men still made the trip. During their classes younger members of the group tended to accept the American explanation of recent world events. Older ones stuck with harder ideological positions. Such differences did not prevent the entire group from jumping up to do the "wave" at a Red Sox baseball game in their final week.