But from my lifelong interest studying how countries work, and fail, I would tell that an average union's citizen would be given a chance to see such inoculatory dosages of "truths" a dozen or so times in his life, the more the higher the rank the person has in the society. And that for most, the exposure to it will pass more or less without consequences, given how watered down it was.

I believe their rationale for engaging in the later was to influence their own elites as much as they can until the level where the benefit from it comes close to the harm from truth stirring up "proles."

I'd say a half of all adult, moderately intellectually developed, working age people by eighties had an idea in principle that:

1. USA is more well off than the union, some even knew by how much from smuggled Western press.

2. That all communists are liars, and that the CPSU is now corrupt beyond salvation.

3. That Radio Liberty is probably not all lie.

4. USA is probably less corrupt than USSR, or at least their bosses don't steal more than half of worker's salary.

5. That it's possible that not all Americans were millionaires, but nevertheless, even some non-millionaires may be able to afford a car in USA...

6. That CPSU keeps microdosing them with much distorted, and watered down depictions of reality in, and outside of the union, in just enough dosage as to preserve CPSU's last vestiges of credibility, as to make what they say not entirely silly.