Lost And Found

When he arrived in Moscow last August, a Western diplomat had to choose which of two cars to buy. In the end he picked the one he liked less and that cost more. His reason: "The owner threw in one of the American maps with the car."

Until last week the most reliable guide to the huge, concentrically built Soviet capital was widely known as "the CIA map." Lent to American diplomats on posting to Moscow, the high-quality maps were coveted. Western tourists traveling in groups had little trouble getting around to the major sights, but individuals or long-term visitors were at the mercy of the Soviet belief that "if you don't know where you are, you don't belong there."

For years Soviet officials feared that accurate maps and city guides would be a boon to spies and saboteurs and, as a result, were highly selective in their cartography. The notorious Dzerzhinsky Square headquarters of the KGB was nowhere to be found on most Soviet-made maps. And out in the countryside, rivers, villages and mountains moved with each new edition.

But in the age of glasnost, officials have at last decided to introduce new maps of Moscow, which will include about 90% of the city's streets. The revised maps come just in time. Warming relations between East and West have brought a flood of visitors. U.S. travel to the Soviet Union with Intourist has doubled since 1984, to more than 75,000 visitors last year. The number would be higher but for the shortage of hotel space. Though the new maps are welcome, old habits die hard. Tourists renting cars still receive only partial route guides, which omit the roads to cities that are closed to visitors. "Maps are really not a requirement," observes Dutch traveler Robert Harting. "The police make sure you're on the right road."