Borsch appetit

A while ago France expelled 47 Soviet spies. This came as a shock to many people who didn't think that France had any secrets to steal.

France is the only major European government with communists in the Cabinet, so maybe this was just a sort of practice run to see what it would be like if and when they took over and could give the KGB a freer hand.

It is not immediately clear what made France act so decisively. Usually the French engage in more conversation. But, according to some sources, this group constituted a network of espionage for the procurement of French technology, and prompt action was necessary. The technology, no doubt, included secrets pried out of leading French chefs and may have even included important American imports, such as French fries, French toast, and creamy French dressing.

Other sources suggest that the Russians were also interested in fighter planes, but spies who live any length of time in Paris seem to lose interest in that sort of thing.

One other possibility back of this sudden deportation is the factor of the French climate. More and more Russians have been going to Paris over the past several years, so maybe the Kremlin itself decided to put a stop to it and worked with the French government in this roundabout way.

Moscow's climate is no attraction, but it is good for spies. It keeps everyone on his toes and a scowl on all the faces. It should be noted that when the KGB were rounded up in Paris they were smiling and carrying flowers. Nothing could have alarmed Moscow more.

The Soviet Union issued some stern statements. It threatened France with what it terms ''negative consequences.'' It is all very embarrassing because the Soviets have at least 10 times the number of spies in France that France has in the Soviet Union. The reason is obvious. Frenchmen don't want to learn the secrets of Russian cooking.icture windows and tract-house lawns.

Tomorrow: Cupertino, Calif. -- looking at the future

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