computer science

Soviet computing technology smuggling

Soviet computing technology smuggling is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Soviet computing technology smuggling rather than just read about it. In short: Soviet computing technology smuggling, both attempted and actual, was a response to CoCom (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls) restrictions on technology transfer. History Mainframe successes Initially the Soviet Union focused on mainframe computing technology, particularly the IBM 360 and 370.

Key takeaways

Soviet computing technology smuggling belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Soviet computing technology smuggling to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Soviet computing technology smuggling from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Soviet computing technology smuggling, both attempted and actual, was a response to CoCom (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls) restrictions on technology transfer.

History

Mainframe successes Initially the Soviet Union focused on mainframe computing technology, particularly the IBM 360 and 370. Between 1967 and 1972 much effort went into reverse engineering what they "acquired." Their first IBM-like machine was based on a 360/40 smuggled in via Poland. The second Soviet-built machine was from a 370/145. Their focus subsequently shifted to super-minicomputers. Failure in 1983 to import a VAX-11/782 did not stop their efforts. "Reverse-engineered and copied Apple IIe parts" brought microcomputers to the Soviet Union; it also brought computer viruses too. IBM PC compatible computers were also smuggled in. Production of Iron Curtain mainframes, at one point, was estimated to be 180 per year.

VAX failures The failure of the Soviets to acquire a VAX-11/782, a dual-processor variation of the VAX-11/780, the original VAX, unraveled much of their smuggling system. U. S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger made a public display of the system, about which The Washington Post headlined "Seized Computer Put on Display" in later 1983. The computer had been exported from the United States to South Africa, from which it was to clandestinely be reshipped; it was seized "moments before its scheduled shipment to the Soviet Union." Weinberger stated at a news conference that the VAX was intended for assisting production of "vastly more accurate . . . and more destructive weapons." Like the 360/40, the smuggling process involved multiple shipments. The 360 had been disassembled and placed in a large number of suitcases. A smaller number of "huge containers of parts" held the 782. The latter's route involved transhipping, some more than half via Sweden, others via West Germany. A U.S. official describe potential "military uses, including the operation of a missile guidance system." The exact configuration was not released even by over a year later: APnews, which noted that the smuggling operation was spread across ten countries, cited $1.1 million as the system's price The Los Angeles Times described the same system's price as $1.5 million. The New York Times wrote "between $1.5 and $2 million." Another VAX-smuggling attempt, five years later, involved a VAX 8800; this too ended in a failure. This time also, the computer involved was a dual-processor system. American government wiretapping revealed that some of the parties involved considered even settling for a VAX 8700, a uni-processor system.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Soviet computing technology smuggling

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Soviet computing technology smuggling claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Soviet computing technology smuggling before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Soviet computing technology smuggling ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Soviet computing technology smuggling

In research: Soviet computing technology smuggling appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Soviet computing technology smuggling in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Soviet computing technology smuggling is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Computing in the Soviet Union, History of computing hardware, History of international relations, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Soviet computing technology smuggling outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Soviet computing technology smuggling in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Soviet computing technology smuggling means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Soviet computing technology smuggling out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Soviet computing technology smuggling in simple terms?

Soviet computing technology smuggling, both attempted and actual, was a response to CoCom (Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls) restrictions on technology transfer. History Mainframe successes Initially the Soviet Union focused on mainframe computing technology, particularly the…

Why does Soviet computing technology smuggling matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Soviet computing technology smuggling?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Soviet computing technology smuggling.