THE LAND IN WHICH THEY LIVE

CIA-STARGATE

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Body:  AppraweXIFr to   &asowpao      3/07: CIA-RDP96-007QR000400040019-9 ,   40
 The Land in which they live"
 When a person despairs of the situation in which he finds
 himself and seeks relief, he is unable to analyze objectively
 the society to which he looks for sanctuary, In fact initially,
 it probably doesn't matter what the new. environment is like as
 long as it is different and less restrictive than the one from
 which he is escaping. Only after some months of exposure to
 the novel situation will such an individual begin to see the
 day to day realities. At first he revels in the freedom of
 having left the unpleasant and punishing circumstances and sees
 the presentculture only in terms of assistance and superficial-
 ities - much as the newly weds who as yet have not faced the
 frustrations of everyday living.
 This new environment was not chosen accidentally,, it was
 well advertized as one in which the dissenter could find free-
 dom of expression and flexibility of action.. This country has
 been considered by some as the leader in "free thinking" and
 what appears to be uninhibited behavior. It would seem to tol-
 erate political independence as well. Its people have been
 glamorized as the personification of "advanced thought". The
 country itself has rare physical beauty, and is known as the
 "Venice of the North". Its women are admired internationally.
 Thus we have    picture of a grand terrain setting and beauti-
 ful!F_people acting as a magnet to the "disenchanted", the dis-
 affected, A particularly suitable land in which to seek the
 true meaning of life and to explore appropriate action for
 the future.
 It should be obvious'that the above description is a
 setting in which one should examine the defection of sever-
 al young Americans from the Armed Forces. They have gigen up
 their homes and families and chosen Sweden as a place to live
 for a variety of reasons. This paper will not concentrate on
 this matter but will be concerned with an examination of their
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 present location and impressions of what this environment will
 do to their thinking and eventual actions.
 These views are based on a brief visit to Stockholm and
 only indirect contact.with the defectors. The?:-iipressions in
 reality are a psychological assessment of what tRf:y happen to
 people when they find themselves in the process of an ideologi-
 cal change in a situation totally different from their past
 experience.
 The city itself has a personality with which one must
 reckon. It is not just a collection of buildings and people.
 It seems to be a unique combination of the old and the new-
 a blend of antiquity and the modern, presented in a meaning-
 fuland dramatic fashion. The city's sub-culture seems to
 reflect elements of the past present and future, particularly
 in the people who wander through the parks and on the broad
 sidewalks. They represent the conservative, the hippie, the
 foreigner,  the alcoholic, and the unclassifable. They seem to
 pass each other without notice except for their own kind.
 There is no mixing, no recognition of other parties in the
 scene but their own "species". There is a curious encapsula-
 tion of each group as if they were on a plant of their own.
 It is reminiscent of a population of a mental hospital ward,
 where each goes about in c.ha .s own private world.
 This general feeling of non-interaction in the Swedish
 people is fundamental to the essence of this paper and I
 believe to the atmosphere in which the young Americans are
 now living. Perhaps the Swedish culture has molded this
 trait in its people or experience of the country has been such
 that this behavior seems to be an underlying major factor in
 understanding  the direction in which these people seem to
 have gone. The Swedish public image is one of free expression
 and action and yet there appears to be little notice of such
 behavior. Perhaps   such "freedom" is permitted because psycho-
 logically it is not seen or comprehended in a very personal
 sense. The Swede maybe a non-interactor who can permit dissent
 and different views where people of another culture would be-
 come too involved to tolerate such :7.ib;4.(_1zaeement. Like a chemi-
 cal c.,talyst , this culture promotes interaction without be-
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 3.
 More on this topic later.
 The initial thoughts of Stockholm center on the expenses
 of ereeyday living (unless the native can find shops the visit-
 or cannot). A package of cigarettes cost anywhere from.95
 to 1.29. A bottle of scotch about $ 14.00. Food also seemed
 higher than many cities in the U.S. and in other parts of
 Europe. It would appear therefore that the cost of living
 might far exceed the meager income of a displaced person who
 is by law unable to work for the first few months of his time
 in country. The amount of funds granted by the government is
 small and certainly would need to be supplemented either through
 gifts or activities that would be at best somewhat beyond the
 letter of the law. If the individual must accept dole or char-
 ity to exist on an inadequate level  ,  it is not a set of con-
 ditions that are conducive to feeling independent and comfort-
 able. an the other hand if he does not accept and live on such
 assistance, he maybeforced to consider less legal means of
 support. Although his rejection of the Armed Forces cannot be
 considered truly an illegal act, it is a step of non-conform-
 ity along a continum which could lead to other activities
 that eventually would oppose more orthodox laws i.e. drag
 traffic, gray or black market exchanges. There is some. in-
 dication that the part of the populla.tion most sympathic to:~
 these Americans also may presently particapate in such activit-
 ies. This is not to label the group as crimtnnal.in the ordin-
 ary sense but they are certainly the least conforming group of
 this sub-culture.
 The anti-Vietnam section of the Swedish youth seems much
 like our own group. Somehow however the Swedish youth seem
 more active and to devote full time to their specific protests.
 At the same time they seem to be less noticed by the rest of
 society who appears to be doing their own "thing" without con-
 cern for anyone else's "thing". All these "things" seem to be
 done very publically but without seemingly affecting anyone
 not immediately involved. It's like a stage with people acting
 intensely while the audience is out for intermission.
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 The free-wheeling reputation of Stockholm seems misleading to
 the author. Perhaps as advertized, there is no punishment for
 behavior that is non-conforming , but at the same time  , there
 is little attention or reward given it either. Thus it is being
 psychologically isolated from most parts of the populations
 that in other cultures would at least argue the point or "care"
 at least a little, No reaction from someone is like behaving in
 a vacuum. In addition one eventually tires of the same people
 and the same group, particularly if the general group behavior
 is having no influence on others. Historically the Swedish
 people have exhibited this isolation syndrome  , not so much
 to avoid trouble but rather because theyThe Swede)  is "natur-
 ally" non-involvement oriented. They are truly a private soc-
 iety , or perhaps they might be called a "non-society" - they
 are individuals living in a physical environment but internally
 focussed. Their concern for external events is carefully con-
 trolled and unlike the American social group, they can with-
 draw without being disturbed if they are ubable to modify the
 behavior of others. Thus their tolerance is greater than ours
 because their psychological comitment is less, Some would con-
 sider this a more mature attitude but the author suspects that
 it is really not on a maturity continum but rather reflects
 a need for greater protection from external change.
 It would appear therefore that the young Americans search-
 ing for a new life may in time find that Sweden offers them
 less involvement and human commitmemt than they desire. They
 may also tire of that part of the population which has offered
 them aid because their aims probably will not,, in the long run,
 conform to the more provincial views of this group. Additionally
 the lack of effect on this society in general maybe an over-
 whelming depressent to the Americans, while the Swede who. to a
 degree understands it, can tolerate it.
 There are cultures in which the Americans would feel, more
 at home butthe cultures of Sweden and China seem to be basically
 poor selections. Such societies do not require the Americans'
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 5.
 need for reinforcement, nor his dependence on the stimulation
 of others.. The old expression of the "dumb Swede"  is simply
 inaccurate... It is not a lack of intelligence but a lack of in-
 volvement that caused him to behave in that fashion. He is truly
 self-centered but not selfishly, rather he is a psychological-
 isolate.
 Whether or not these young Americans will return to the
 U.S.., is unknown but the author strongly believes that the Swed-
 ish culture will. not offer them a psychologically gratifying
 environment in which to live,, and that if the psychic cost  is
 not too great they will seek a home back in the U.S. or in other
 more "involved" quarters of the globe.
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