ABSTRACT
The controversy also brought into sharp focus the perception of agricultural trade policies as key symbols of general economic policies in both countries and as key ingredients in promoting diverse strategic or political objectives within the context of East-West relations. The larger configuration of East-West politics and Soviet-American interests determine in large measure the framework of agricultural trade relations. The Soviet Union maintained discreet silence about the controversy among its decision makers over the wisdom of massive grain imports from the United States and other western countries. The United States aimed at restoring its predominance in the Soviet grain import market, but the Soviet Union had strong reservations about the reliability of American grain trade policy. The United States and Soviet governments seek to organize and maintain the level of agricultural trade relations in terms of their respective economic and security interests.
