LEAD: 

Where was the framework for the Soviet Union's revolutionary Perestroika first discussed?:

A) A dacha in the Crimea

B) A bunker outside Moscow

C) A political think tank in Minsk

D) the 'back forty' of Canadian Agriculture Minister Eugene Whelan in Essex County, Ontario

Surprisingly, 'D' is the correct answer. Author Christopher Shulgan has written the fascinating story of how Alexander Yakovlev's parnership with Mikhail Gorbachev began. Yakovlev advised the President on how to open up the Soviet Union and end the Cold War from his position of 'exile' in Ottawa as The Soviet Ambassador.

RUNS-5:38


END CUE: "...by McClelland & Stewart."