MUCH TO LEARN IN THE SOVIET UNION

Oil companies in what used to be the non-Communist world function according to elegantly simple precepts. They invest labor and money where they find opportunities to earn revenues sufficient to cover expenses, recover capital, and return profits justifying the trouble and risk. In Soviet law and habit, these precepts are just beginning to take shape. For that and other reasons, companies seeking business in the U.S.S.R. should plan for surprise.