Word: rusted
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...spite of the uproar he created by landing his Cessna Skyhawk 172 on the edge of Moscow's Red Square two weeks ago, there were signs that the Soviets might deal leniently with Mathias Rust, 19, the newly famous West German aviator. No less an insider than Valentin Falin, head of the official Novosti press agency, initially predicted that the "young man will soon see his parents and friends." But as the week wore on, the Soviets seemed to grow less and less inclined to let Rust off the hook, or for that matter to dismiss his unprecedented feat...
Moscow's reluctance to let Rust off with a wrist slapping, and thus deflect attention from its embarrassment, only underscored the extreme seriousness with which the Soviets viewed Rust's romp through more than 400 miles of well- guarded airspace. Soviet and Western military experts were still digesting the news of the abrupt departure of Defense Minister Sergei Sokolov, the first official of that rank to be ousted since Nikita Khrushchev's celebrated firing of Georgi Zhukov for meddling in party affairs in 1957. Marshal of Aviation Alexander Koldunov was also dismissed. Further casualties were expected in the course...
When a public opinion institute conducted a snap poll of more than 2,000 West Germans for their reaction to Rust's flight, 79% said they were "tickled" by the exploit. West German officials were considerably more somber. At week's end, said an aide to Chancellor Helmut Kohl, the government had not received "so much as a police blotter" report from the Soviet Union about the incident. Officials were worried not only about the fate of Rust but also about the impact of his stunt on Soviet-West German relations. One senior Bonn diplomat called the timing of Rust...
...gloom lifted a bit after Moscow privately informed Bonn that West German officials would be allowed to visit Rust this Tuesday. It offered hope that the Soviets will not cancel a state visit by West German President Richard von Weizsacker scheduled for July...
...landing on the White House lawn may have had little long-term impact on U.S. policy of any sort. But Mathias Rust's 16-day joyride, having already shaken the Soviet defense establishment, could have some enduring consequences for the Kremlin -- and the West...