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                                               January 10, 1989

President Elect George Bush

The White House

Washington, D. C. 20501

Dear President Elect Bush:

This is too important for just a form letter response. It

concerns my successes in dealing with the Russians in

Russia in August 1984 and how it may be affecting their

change of policy from 1985 to the present. The attached

photographs will demonstrate the generosity the Russians

afforded me as a result of what I was attempting to

accomplish. My only interest in writing to you is a

sincere concern that you should have my input as well as

all other sources available to you. In this way, you will

be as informed as possible in your dealings with them. As

strange as it will seem what I am writing is the absolute

truth. I value my privacy, so please don't release my name

to the press.

I had never been behind the iron curtain, and I really was

apprehensive about going there in 1984. My elderly parents

had never visited those countries either; although they

have traveled to quite a few other countries. They wanted

to go before they became too infirmed, and they asked my

wife and I to accompany them. How could I turn them down?

It was a time when President Reagan was calling the Soviet

Union, "the evil empire". They had refused to send their

athletes to the Los Angeles Olympics. They were acting

dreadfully. Every picture I had seen of them showed grim

faces. I had read in the newspapers about a tourist

getting beaten up on the streets of Leningrad. All in all,

it was not a very happy prospect for this conservative

republican capitalist. I decided to write a cordial letter

to Mikhail Gorbachev's predecessor and to send him an

excerpt videotape of the American Olympics. I reasoned that

I could show the Russians a copy of the letter if they

became unhappy with my wife's, my parents', or my presence

there.

When our tour arrived in Moscow, we were assigned a middle-

aged guide. She was subsequently replaced with a pretty

young blonde guide. I told our first guide to please ask

our new guide to smile. I said that Russians never seem to

smile. I told her that in America people smile because

they want to be friends, and this is how they first show

it. This is our custom. I gave her a brief explanation

about body language. When our new guide first came on the

scene, she was grim-faced. Our original guide took her

aside, and they had a conversation. While they were

talking, a big smile came across our new guide's face. She

was subsequently very friendly and smiling all during our

tour. Now we see Mikhail Gorbachev and other Russians

smiling and using body language. Recently, I saw a Russian

citizen being interviewed on a street in Moscow. He

couldn't understand why we Americans were always smiling.

I decided to use what the Russians told me was their

concept of their system, and build on that concept to

relate it to our system. I knew our room was bugged. I

also knew the table where we ate was bugged. I also knew

that our guide was a KGB agent. I asked her, and she

didn't deny it. I decided to try to convert the wallpaper

in our room, the salt and pepper shaker on our table, and

our guide feeling that if they heard the same message from

three different listening stations it might take affect. I

withheld my criticism as much as I could and praised them

where I could. I built upon what positive items I could

find and related them to our own system. I tried to give

them a positive image to live up to, and it worked.

Before I proceed, let me tell you how I knew our dining

table was bugged. It makes a cute story. At the end of

each lunch and dinner, they would serve a variety of

deserts such as canned fruit, fresh fruit, cookies, cake,

and candy. It would be different with each meal. Finally,

they served ice cream, and it was the best I have had (18%

butter fat). I told the salt and pepper shaker how

delicious the ice cream was and that it would be wonderful

to have it for dessert after each lunch. For the rest of

the tour the Russians served ice cream for dessert at the

end of each lunch. I decided on one more test. The ice

cream was served on a raised fluted metal dish. The sugar

cubes on the table were on a similar metal dish, which was

twice as large. I told the salt and pepper shaker that it

would be nice to have our ice cream served on the larger

sugar cube dish. The very next lunch, our ice cream

dessert was served on the much larger sugar cube dish. I

was hoping for more ice cream that way, but we still only

got one small scoop. It looked lost on that larger dish.

The Russians all work for the state. They call it, 'The

Company'. I told them that citizens of the United States

can work for 'The Company' through government service, the

military, teaching, or heavily regulated utilities. They

can also work in the private sector, which is heavily

controlled by the government to prevent one person from

taking advantage of the other. We have minimum wages, which

are set by the government. Usually workers make more money

in the private sector than they can working for 'The

Company'. In our system, it is very difficult to charge

too much for a product. Whenever someone comes up with a

new product which is in high demand, there are many more

people to want to also manufacture that product less

expensively so that the price is kept reasonable. I told

the Russians of my personal business experiences and how I

would not want to take advantage of anyone. I told them

that if someone did figure a way to take advantage of

anyone, we would write laws to prevent it from happening

again. Even though we own land, it is heavily taxed and

controlled as to what we are allowed to build on it and how

we manage it. Some of our tour group were retired

teachers. I asked the Russians how they felt these people

were taken advantage of. I told them that the reason they

don't have any unemployment in Russia is that an unemployed

person is allowed to turn down the first two jobs offered,

but they must accept the third job offer. I told them that

in the United States we don't force people to work, and we

won't intentionally let someone starve. As a result, there 

are unemployed people who won't work because they know they 

will be cared for anyway. Some are on drugs and some are 

alcoholics. I pointed out that Russia also has a serious 

alcoholism problem. We are all trying to solve our problems to 

make a better life for everyone. America has problems, but so 

do all other countries. This does not make it bad.

I continued to explain that Russians have their college education 

paid for if they pass their exams. They must, however, repay the 

state through two years of work for the state after they graduate. 

In our country, people can get a low interest loan to pay for their 

education. They must work to pay it back after they graduate. Or 

people can have their education paid for by the government through 

an ROTC program; whereas they must pay back the government through 

military service after they graduate. It would also be a good idea 

for America to allow graduates to pay back their education through 

non-military service to their country.

I told them that when they send people over to our country,these 

people try to find negative unfair items to report back on because 

they don't want to be accused of being soft on capitalism. The 

Russians have preconceived distorted ideas of what the United States 

is like, and their people report back a distorted picture, so they 

won't get in trouble when they return home.

I asked those on our bus, independent of family ties, would anyone 

prefer to live in Russia over living in the United States? Of course, 

no one said they would. I told our guide that should tell her 

something. I also told our guide that United States citizens can 

freely leave our country and travel to Russia, yet the reverse is 

not true for the Russians. That should also tell her something. I 

told her the family unit is an example of communism in our country. 

In the family it is 'From each according to his ability. To each 

according to his needs.'. I also said that people tried a limited 

form of communism years ago in the United States, and it was a 

miserable failure. There were too many poets and philosophers and 

not enough farmers. Even today some people try living in communes, 

but these also generally fail.

I told them we should be embracing each other as friends. We should 

not be fighting. If we could all safely disarm, we could use all of 

these virtually wasted resources and talent to work arm-in-arm toward 

a better safer world for everyone.

They kept asking me, "But how can we be sure that what you are 

telling us is the truth?" I told them that I did not speak for my 

government. I had no reason to lie to them. They can also be sure by 

asking the same questions of all the American tourists who come to 

visit Russia. We are striving for a better life for our citizens. If 

we felt communism was better, we would have adapted it. We should 

build on our similarities rather than use our differences to drive 

wedges between us. In both our societies, we highly value the lives 

of our children. For their sake, let us be friends.

When it came time to visit Lenin's tomb our guide apologized for not 

getting us into the front of the long line. She said that the 

relations between our respective governments were at a low. I told 

her I would feel embarrassed if she tried to move us to the front of 

the line. We honestly believe that all people are equal. How can we 

in good conscience move ahead of others in line? I told her I would 

feel compelled to shake hands and to apologize to everyone we moved 

ahead of.

Our guide gave me her room number and said I could come to her room 

anytime, day or night. I, of course, ignored this invitation. She 

later complained that my wife and I are 'inseparable'. I took this 

as a compliment.

When we first arrived in Russia, I was in a slower customs line. As 

a result, I did not receive word that I could not take any pictures 

at the airport. A subsequent flight landed in Leningrad. When I 

stepped off the airplane, I spotted the Leningrad sign in english 

over the airport terminal building. I felt it would make a great 

title slide, so I stood on the apron amongst all those airplanes with 

my very large zoom lens taking a picture. A person in uniform came 

running up shouting, "Nyet! Nyet! Nyet!". I explained what I was doing. 

I was then told I could not take pictures at any airport. I apologized. 

Our whole tour group was led to a separate waiting area where we were 

kept for 3 hours.

Then they let us proceed on our tour. I was not

interrogated. As you can see from the enclosed pictures,

my film was not confiscated. Someone over there must have

been watching over me. I feel very fortunate to not have

been arrested.

The reason I wrote is that I feel Secretary Shultz is

messing up. I feel he should be encouraging harmony and

building on similarities rather than driving wedges. His

present efforts could be driving the Russians back to their

terrible old ways. In addition, he could be seriously

alienating our allies. Hopefully what I have written,

together with your other sources of information, will lead

to a better approach to Russian / American relations. You

might argue that the Russians are motivated by financial

problems. This may be true, but they have always had

financial problems. They just didn't know a better way to

solve them. I recently read that a high Russian official

admitted that they had a wrong conception of what our

system is like. Please don't rub Russia's nose into it by

calling their reforms, capitalism. I don't feel they are

ready for that yet in their delicate balance of power.

Call it 'Social Initiative'. What I did was no big deal.

In any event, that was then, and this is now. I feel you

will be a truly great president. Good luck and God bless

you.

                      Very truly yours,

                      Franklin R. Lacy

                                             Franklin R. Lacy

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                                             June 15, 1989

President George Bush

The White House

Washington, D. c. 20500

Dear President Bush:

On January 10, 1989, I wrote you of my efforts in 1984 to

make Russia a kinder, gentler nation during my visit there.

This was too important for a form letter response, and I

know your screeners bumped it to someone because no form

letter was received. To show Russian generosity to me, I

enclosed a picture they saw me take at Leningrad airport's

flight apron. They did not interogate me, and they let me

keep my film. They only detained our whole tour group for

3 hours in a side airport waiting area. A copy of the

letter I wrote you is attached. It would be nice to know

if you actually read my letter and if it was helpful.

Please let me know how high it got. So far, no letter has

been received from you. We are all given one life to try

to make the most of. It would be nice to know whether I

was of service in some way.

Very truly yours,

Franklin R. Lacy

                                          Franklin R. Lacy

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                                          November 20, 1989

President George Bush

The White House

Washington, D. C. 20500

Dear President Bush:

On January 10, 1989, I wrote you of my efforts in 1984 to make 

Russia a kinder, gentler nation during my visit there. This was 

too important for a form letter response, and I know your screeners 

bumped it to the President's advisors and to the Department of State. 

To show Russian generosity to me, I enclosed a picture they saw me 

take at Leningrad airport's flight apron. They did not interogate me, 

and they let me keep my film. They only detained our whole tour group 

for 3 hours in a side airport waiting area. A copy of the letter I 

wrote you is attached.

I notice a common administration belief that Mikhail Gorbachev alone 

is performing the rapid changes. Certainly he is the most visible; 

however, he had to have a majority of strong backers with similar 

feelings to have come into power. This is especially true with the 

changes being so pronounced. I was in Russia beginning on August 28, 

1984. Chernenko (not sure of spelling anymore) was the leader at the 

time. The mood was very anti-American; although, my family and I were 

treated very well. To have Russia shift so dramatically in such a 

short period of years required the simultaneous interest and efforts 

of many Russian politicians. I therefore feel that these changes will 

go on even if Gorbachev is no longer a part of it. Ideas and concepts 

this profound do not depend on individuals bucking an entire system. 

President Gorbachev must have a base of support of a number of people 

simultaneously holding similar views. President Gorbachev apparently 

is not governing by fear and intimidation. He is leading by logic and 

reason. That is why I feel these changes are genuine and lasting.

I understand your reluctance to move too quickly. It is better to be 

absolutely right than dead wrong. However, there is positive posturing 

that can be done to seize the moment and put the United States in the 

forefront of strong world peace leadership. You will be viewed as the 

great world peace president. You can do this without compromising our 

national security.

If you are still doubtful about Gorbachev's level of political support,

you can always ask him, but you might suspect his response. If in some 

small way my efforts in 1984 precipitated the changes, you can always 

show President Gorbachev my letter to you of January 1989. He could 

research his archives, verify what I wrote, and let you know if it had 

any affect on Russian politics. You could ask about it using the excuse 

of historical accuracy; whereas, you are actually gauging how far 

reaching his base of support is. He might quip, "You Americans are 

always claiming you invented everything!".

Both Russia and the United States evolved from a revolution against a 

related ruling class that was oppressive. Although we went one way and 

they went another, each had a new system that was perceived better than 

what was before. In Russia in 1984, life for the common man was better 

than it was under the last czar. I attempted to sell them on the 

concept that what they had was an evolution, and the next step for the 

If you want the FBI to check me out, have them give me a call. Last 

August, a clean cut, well dressed man who had all the appearance of 

eing an FBI agent took my picture several times in a very obvious 

manner through a briefcase under a raincoat. He then proceeded to 

obviously follow me. Because I couldn't be absolutely sure who he was, 

I gave him the slip. I have taken steps to be private because we live 

in a lawsuit happy society. If people feel you have money, they will 

sue you hoping you will settle for 10 cents on the dollar. It is best 

to be a very small target for lawsuits. There are just too many hungry 

lawyers out there. I just won a lawsuit someone had filed against me. 

It was in King County Superior Court under Judge John Darrah ((206)296-

9160). Because I won, it only cost me $75,000 for lawyers plus $15,000 

for expert witness fees none of which is recoverable. I will get back 

$657 in incidental court costs. Lucky me.

About the same time, I was informed of an IRS audit for the first time 

in 29 years. I don’t mind an IRS audit if it is in the normal flow of 

IRS business. It is part of being a good citizen. However, I have read 

that IRS audits are a way of the government trying to punish someone. 

Is the government trying to punish me for attempting and possibly 

succeeding in getting Russia and her satellites to change to capitalism? 

IRS audits are terribly time consuming. If given a choice, nobody 

would want one. Several clichés come to mind. The bureaucracy is the 

only entity for all good ideas. Any idea introduced from outside the 

bureaucracy is foreign and suspect and therefore must not be good. 

Worse still, credit cannot be readily assumed. All of this would be 

the thinking of very insecure people. I know of no one in the 

administration with these ideas. Teamwork is very important. Anything 

the Bush administration does for world peace is to the credit of 

those working in the Bush administration. The rest of the world would 

be grateful for it, and we all would be better off.

I believe I have insights, which could be shared with you. For one 

thing, I am probably one of few not surprised with the changes in 

Russia and Eastern Europe. If you want additional comments from me, 

maybe you can give me a contact that will be more timely than going 

through the long letter screening process.

                          Very truly yours,

                          Franklin R. Lacy