ABSTRACT
The degree of freedom which the Soviet Union allows the countries immediately beyond its Western marches is, when all is said and done, considerably greater than any other Great Power would give in similar economic, geographic and strategic circumstances. The Soviet delegation could use its authority due to the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance being a community of unequals but it could neither control communication and exchange among the peripheries nor could it silence dissent. The Romanian case shows a much more profound history of dissent. Actually, the origins of this behavior date back to the opposition to supranational planning in the early 1960s. The Romanian and Cuban delegations were not the only ones to dissent from time to time. It could also be the East German or Polish one. It is interesting to note that at least in the East German files the Soviet delegation is often presented as being conciliatory and ready to compromise on many issues.
