AT&T Co reports that telephone calling between the US and the Soviet Union was 100 times normal in the aftermath of the coup in Moscow and says it has been trying to complete as many calls as possible through its direct satellite and cable communications lines, through AT&T international operators and through third countries but that the record calling plus the scarcity of channels, was causing delays; calling began to surge as people in the US awakened to news of the overthrow of President Gorbachev: the coup came at a time when many Americans are travelling in the Soviet Union as tourists and on business; the company had already applied for 90 additional circuits to meet forecast demand, but the Federal Communications Commission is dragging its feet.
