ABSTRACT
The broad concept of security held by eastern communists contrasts with the more narrowly phrased definition of the external threat which the West generally employs. The Soviet leadership perceives the military to be an important component of security, but by no means one having a position of primacy. All elements of state and society in the Soviet system have the goal of centralizing control in a hierarchy and excluding any possibility of circumventing the system. The eastern leadership is most sensitive to news from the West that deals with problems and events in the Soviet communist camp. In its efforts to defend against western information, the Soviet leadership fundamentally claims exclusive right to the dissemination of information in its area of control. The Soviet leaders saw a threat which challenged their vital interests and impinged on their room for maneuver. The only thing acceptable to the Soviets is the idea of international information exchange.
