Saratov's Industrial Generals Fight for Reforms and Want To Turn the Shadow Economy Into a Normal Economy

This document is a press article from the August 13, 1993, edition of the Moscow newspaper Izvestiya. It reports on a meeting in Saratov between Premier Viktor Chernomyrdin and local industrial directors regarding economic reforms. The central focus is a proposal by Aleksandr Yermishin, the general director of the local aviation plant, to convert defense industry enterprises into joint-stock companies to stabilize the economy. Within the context of this industrial conversion, the article notes that Yermishin's plant is producing a new machine described as a 'flying saucer,' which is intended for commercial sale and has already been developed in metal. The article further details a proposed 'Mechanism for Collaboration Between the U.S. and Russian Governments' to facilitate investment in these converted enterprises, aiming to move away from a 'shadow economy' toward a market-based system. The text emphasizes the need for legislative changes, such as private land ownership and mortgage laws, to support these reforms and suggests that an alliance between pragmatists in the business sector and political leaders could ensure the success of these transformations.