ABSTRACT
Computer-related technology and product transfers have been an Important continuing concern for much of the post-World War II history of US export controls. This chapter is concerned with computer hardware, although there will be some discussion of software. It discusses a few of the problems that plague an assessment of the impact of US export controls on the development of specific technologies within the Soviet computer industry. The chapter considers some difficulties with the measurement and comparison of technical achievements. It provides short summaries of five examples that span a broad spectrum of computing technologies: large scale scientific computers; large capacity magnetic disk stores; microelectronic components; ferrite core main memory; and software. They also span a broad spectrum with regard to the history and viability of export controls. The chapter illustrates a range of possibilities in the context of several "example" technologies, and then presents a perspective on the dynamics of export controls in a rapidly changing technological environment.
