Viktor Belinko didn't really know if the US was as good as he had heard before defecting.
In his book, Mig Pilot, his handlers let him go in a car to see America. What truly convinced him, was a visit to a supermarket. He was truly shocked to see the abundance. Nothing like that in the USSR.
"These things must be done delicately-- or you hurt the spell." - The Wicked Witch of the West.
"We've got the torpedo damage temporarily shored up, the fires out and soon will have the ship back on an even keel. But I would suggest, sir, that if you have to take any more torpedoes, you take 'em on the starboard side." Pops Healy, DCA USS Lexington.