Advice From Two Old Pros

By Hugh Sidey and Christopher Ogden Richard Nixon and Mikhail Gorbachev

In the midst of Russia's crisis, TIME contributor Hugh Sidey talked with Richard Nixon, and contributor Christopher Ogden interviewed Mikhail Gorbachev, who was on a visit to Calgary, Alberta.

RICHARD NIXON

ON THE U.S. AND YELTSIN: Without our help, ((he)) will certainly fail. The choice we have here is between Yeltsin with his weaknesses and an alternative. Having met all the players, I can say there's not one of them that would not be worse. They are strong men and they are able men, but all of them would slow down economic reforms. ON RUSSIAN LAW: The constitution is just a jerry- built thing and needs to be changed, and that's what Yeltsin wants to do. ON CLINTON'S SUPPORT FOR YELTSIN: I think Clinton is making a gutsy call, really the mark of a leader. There's no question a majority of the American people at this time would oppose aid to Russia. Clinton realizes that if the Yeltsin government goes down, it means the peace dividend is down the tube and the defense budget has to be increased by billions of dollars. ON WESTERN AID TO RUSSIA: It has to be substantially more than has currently been discussed. We must avoid doing just enough to get our feet wet, but not enough to work. If we're not prepared to do the whole job, then we should stay out of it. ON GORBACHEV'S FUTURE: The Russians are not going back to Gorbachev. He's a man without a party. The Russians are also not going back to communism. Even the Russian Speaker ((Khasbulatov)), who wants power, doesn't want to do that.

MIKHAIL GORBACHEV

ON RUSSIAN POLITICS: The Congress wanted to do some irreversible damage to the President. The Congress did not succeed. The President too wanted actually to dismiss the Congress. It is not proper for the President to do such things. Neither side can win outright, and that's good. Thank God for that. We don't need victors in this situation. ON THE NEXT STEP: Early elections are what our democracy needs now. As early as May. New elections will bring in some very good people, some new forces. ON THE COUP THREAT: We have a different kind of society now. Those who shout that the President should firmly adhere to the constitution would fully unmask themselves if they tried to do something unconstitutional while he was away. So I think there's no problem in Yeltsin's coming to Vancouver. ON U.S. SUPPORT: I think you have to invest in the new Russia, in our common future. I mean not just financial investment. I mean also political investment. You should support the process of reform. You should support all those who are realistic. Don't just look at those people waving the red banners. This is not Russia's mood. ON WHETHER HE WILL RETURN TO POLITICS: I could answer the call. If I saw that Russia was in a critical state and that all of us Russian citizens who could do something should do something for the country, I would do it. But I don't see that kind of situation.