Uncovering Soviet Disasters: Exploring the Limits of Glasnost

by James Edward Oberg

Book Overview

Oberg investigates modern disasters in the Soviet Union--from space shots to industrial catastrophes, to pollution, floods and fires. What really happened, why were they covered up, and how were they finally discovered? This book explains it all. 8 pages of black-and-white photos.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394560957
• ISBN13: 9780394560953
• Release Date: February 1988
• Publisher: Random House (NY)
• Length: 335 Pages
• Weight: 1.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Old news but still relevant

At the time this book was published, in 1988, it was an amusing and telling example of how much (or how little) could be deduced by forensic techniques from a putatively closed society. As such, it remains of interest in the 21st century, where there are still putatively closed regimes (Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea) that are rightly suspected of being up to mischief. By 1988, had a long record of uncovering mysteries in the Soviet Union, especially in their space program. His biggest coup was revealing the existence of "missing cosmonauts." That tale was retold here, along with a fascinating retrieval of unreported news stories about mayhem in all walks of Soviet life. Some remain controversial, at least in benighted quarters, like the reactor failure at Chernobyl. Oberg concluded that while glasnost was real, it had not penetrated the Soviet military. "Uncovering Soviet Disasters" covers the period through late 1988. Subsequently, some military circles in Russia became more open, but on the whole his judgment then is good now. The importance of this to arms control is obvious. Oberg's book is valuable on this and several other levels. Not the least reason for reading it is that it's a good mystery. But nobody who reads this book will ever fly on a Russian airliner.

Excellent research, good writing, but it'll spoil your day.

After reading Oberg's excellent documentary/book, one must: FIRSTLY - emphatize with those thousands of well-meaning, country-serving people affected by their perfidious Government, One Party System and simply lousy Management.SECONDLY - wonder why we were stupid enough to enter with the same people into a demanding and dangerous venture such as the International Space Station. Maybe, after the International Space Station has been cancelled, there's another book for Jim Oberg to write.