Then his trip to a gas station seemed to explain things. Here too, he saw no crowds, which was impossible — fuel is always scarce, so people should line up to receive whatever they can get. Clearly, there was just one explanation. All of this was fake. This wasn’t how Americans lived at all. His hosts had set all of this up to fool foreign visitors into thinking America was rich, and the result had been less than convincing. To use the Russian term, this was clearly a Potemkin village. (There is no separate American term, because America does not have Potemkin villages.)
In reality, although American propaganda agencies have used supermarkets to advertise American wealth, all these places Belenko visited were genuine. He eventually came to understand this and became a citizen. He received a new name and moved to an undisclosed city. He is reportedly still alive today, and as far as anyone knows, he may even write for this very website.
For more nation hopping, check out:
George Dasch Prevented a Nazi Attack In America By Selling Out His Fellow Saboteurs
The Americans Who Became North Korean Movie Stars
The Scientist Who Came Up With Nuclear Winter Disappeared At A Nuclear Conference