Sanctions against USSR backfired, report says

US trade sanctions against the Soviet Union may have backfired and hurt the American economy more than the Soviets, according to a congressional report just released.

The report by the Office of Technology Assessment said the sanctions did hurt vulnerable sectors of the Soviet economy, but probably not enough to make a real economic difference. The sanctions were US attempts to exert economic leverage following the Soviet move into Afghanistan and the Polish crackdown. The report also said the Soviets were making a massive effort to obtain Western technology for military purposes.