DECLASSIFICATION OF STATE ABSTRACT FROM SIC STUDY, SOVIET SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY THROUGH 1971

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79M00098A000500020038-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 19, 2005
• Sequence Number: 38
• Publication Date: October 18, 1962
• Content Type: MF

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UNITED STATES INTELLIGENCE BOARD
OFFICE OF THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
18 October 1962
MEMORANDUM FOR
z Chairman, Scient
ific Intelligence Comm
ittee
SUBJECT
Declassification o
Study, Soviet Scie
f State Abstract from
nce and Technology T
SIC
hrough
1971
REFERENCE
. SIC Memorandan
for Executive Secreta
ry,
USIB, re Above S
ubject, 18 October 196
2
Since (a) the SIC has determined that the enclosure with the reference
(an abstract from the SIC study on "Soviet Science and Technology Through
1971 ") does not contain classified intelligence information and (b) arrange
ments have been made for handling the paper without attribution to the
USIB, I concur in your view that release" of the material does not require
approval by USIB.
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Executive Secretary
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SCIENTIFIC INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
1 $ O CT 1962
MEMORANDUM FOR: Executive Secretary, United States Intelligence Board
SUBJECT: Declassification of State Abstract from SIC Study,
Soviet Science and Technology Through 1971
1. The Scientific Intelligence Committee has been asked by
the Director of International Scientific Affairs, State Department
to permit use of the attached abstract from the subject SIC study
on an unclassified basis. The purpose is to furnish the many U.S.
scientists travelling to the USSR with material on Soviet science
and scientists in order that they may be better equipped to deal
with their Soviet counterparts. The Summary and Conclusions of
the subject study were approved by USIB 23 May 1962.
2. The SIC considered this request at its 9 October 1962
meeting. The Committee agreed to the.declassification of the
abstract after determining that it does not include classified
intelligence information.
3. In my opinion release of the material should not require
USIB approval. If you concur, please inform me in writing for
our records and I will release the material.
Attachment:
Soviet Science and Soviet
Scientists
,u,,L ing : pia
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S0 ?IM2 sC.l ICE AD SOVIET SCIE 'ISTS
Envl onmental Factors Affecting Conduct of Research and Develop nt
she lot of the Soviet scientist differs from that of others.
Whatever his tyrpe of organization may be, he works, for the State and
is subject to its discipline and control. On the other hand, the
State champions scientists, taking deliberate measures to encourage
maximum production: by :his scientific community. The achievements of
scientists are accompanied by graded financial awards and "fringe
benefits" to provide a distinctive style of life, symbolic of a
superior position in society. Soviet scientists, therefore, are able,
generally speaking, to cops with the controls and pressures of their
environment. Morale of Soviet 'scientists in most areas of science
is fairly high, especially in the physical sciences and in engineering.
Although Soviet scientists are eager to increase their contacts with
toe: tern scientists, personal communication between Soviet scientists'
and their Western counterparts remains very limited.
Utilization of Other Bloc Resources
The Academy of Sciences, USSR, has very systematically fostered
the establishrient Bloc academies of sciences and has encouraged Bloc
scientists to work on research projects at the Soviet Act my of
Sciences facilities. This effort to "up-grade" Bloc science
capabilities has been moderately successful. Bloc scientists have
participated in or presented papers at international technical
synposiume and in-Soviet Bloc meetings. They also have organized
native technical ocieties and conferences. Although prejudices,
organizational problems, end mutual suspicion at first handicapped
the dissemination and distribution of scientific and technical data,
these obstacles have nowbeen substantially reduced, and the inter-
change of information appears to be satisfactory.
Soviet Exploitation of Non-Bloc Science and Technology
Extent of Soviet Procurement and Utilization of Information from
Qp Scuzjc_oa--T a Soviet Union co :tinues to have an excellent program _en for the coordinated exploitation of all foreign sources of scientific
research and technology. While Soviet efforts to obtain such information
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through participation in international organizations and meetings and
East-West exchanges have increased, the predominant and still most
valuable source is the 'vast supply of open literature available
throughout the world. Currently, about 50,000 new books and an equal
number of journals, containing some 4,000,000 articles, plus an
estimated 250,000 patents are added annually to this supply.
The Soviet information services collectively procure thousands
of these publications monthly by purchase order, subscription, and
exchange and conduct an outstanding program for processing and diss
disseminating scientific and technical information to Soviet science
and industry. Among the information services participating in the
Soviet program is the large and excellent Soviet library system and
several large information centers, among them the All-Union Institute
of Scientific and Technical Information (VINITI).* This Institute,
still the largest facility of its kind in the world, has a permanent'
staff of 2,000 and an additional 20,000 specialists on call for
abstracting and editing foreign scientific literature. Around 600,000
abstracts of articles from some 12,250 foreign and 2,500 domestic
periodicals in 65 languages are published annually in Soviet journals
covering the natural, applied, and technical sciences.
Much foreign literature also is received and handled by the
larger Soviet libraries and publishing houses. The Lenin Library,
for example, has exchange agreements with 2,500 institutions in 73
countries, including 180 in the United States. In 1960 alone, such
agreements involved the exchange of over 200,000 books. The publishing
House of Foreign Literature, Ministry of Culture, USSR, is second
only to VINITI in the field of foreign documentation. With a staff
of over 2,000 translators and an extensive collection of foreign
source material(over 4,000,000 volumes in its own library), this
facility produces annually complete or abridged translations of
articles from over 5,000 foreign books and 1,500 foreign journals
and newspapers. The publications of this facility provide a more
intensive coverage than that of VINITI's abstract journals of
specialized fields of research important to the USSR.
In addition to libraries and information centers, the Soviets
have a network of central bureaus and central institutes of technical
information. These agencies collect and disseminate, at the factory
level, information on the latest technical achiever?..en4s from the
foreign and domestic press. Also contributing to the Soviet effort
are the many state and republic scientific and technical committees,
various ?cientific and technical societies, and local houses of
scientific and technical propaganda.
The name of this institute has been changed to "Institute of
Scientific Information", but it is still frequently referred to by
its previous initials, VINITI.
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The Soviet information services program is an integral part of the
Soviet scientific research effort and is largely under the guidance of
the Academy of Sciences, USSR, and the new State Committee on
Coordination of Scientific Research Work, Council of Ministers, USSR.
The Soviets also learn much through scientific and technical
conferences and exchanges. Each member of a Soviet technical delegation
collects information in his own or related fields. He attempts to
procure pre-prints; working drawings of new types of equipment,
especially those types that are considered commercial secrets by the
manufacturing companies; and talks to specialists in an effort to
round out information made public in technical papers. At the Second
Geneva Conference on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy, for instance,
the Soviets spent long hours examining the American technical exhibits.
Science and Technology as Instruments of Soviet Foreign Policy
The Communist Party is attempting to project an image of itself
as the central mechanism for scientifically directing the Soviet social
system toward a Utopian society. It is the Soviet's hope that this
image, buttressed by concrete achievements, will persuade uncommitted
nations to elect communism. Quite clearly, science has become a
major Soviet tool in projecting this image to other nations. Although
nuclear and space sciences and automation play a major role in this
strategy, other sciences, such as medicine, biology, and agriculture,
also are used to further Soviet political objectives.
The most publicized Soviet technical achievements, such as in
space rocketry, tend to overshadow in the eyes of the world the less
spectacular effects of Western scientific gains. This has resultea
in a gain in scientific prestige which adds significantly to the'
Soviet military and political world image relative to that of the
West and strengthens the position of the US R In the current East-
West power struggle. Completely aware of the impact of an ostensible
scientific superiority in this struggle, the Soviet-Union has pushed
its scientific propaganda "offensive" not only to enhance its military
position, but also to influence the uncommitted neutral countries.
Soviet scientific successes have been achieved during a period of
emerging nationalism and newly acquired independence among many
countries that are now evaluating the comparable efficiency of the
Soviet and Western systems. In many canes, certainly, these new
States will be prompted to choose that system which they feel would
enable them most rapidly to close the gap between them and the
advanced industrial countries. To win over these "neutrals," the
Soviets export science and technology in certain fields for which there
is immediate need and in which the Soviet Union is especially well
qualified.
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The Soviet Union also is participating increasingly in
international conferences. An increasing number of Soviet scientists
are becoming officials of international societies. In fields where
the Soviet Union lags behind the West, Soviet scientists also attend
international meetings, contributing little but establishing contacts
and learning much. Moreover, for maximum publicity, the Soviets often
hold scientific symposia so as to coincide with their most recent
scientific success. For example, on 19 April 1961, at about the time
of Major Gagarin's flight, Professor A. A. Blagonravov, Academy of
Sciences, USSR, delivered a lecture in Rome on "First Man in Space".
Scientific-technical relations between the Bloc and Western
countries have been characterized by a persistent effort of the Bloc,
headed by the USSR, to maintain a steadily increasing rate of
exchange of scientific-technical personnel and participation in
international scientific conferences. As this program has matured
and expanded, the Soviets have become increasingly more selective
in their efforts. Scientific, technical, and professional exchanges
continue to be the first interest and still dominate the exchange
picture. The Soviet Government frequently attempts to create the
public impression that the United States does not cooperate fully in
implementing exchanges. In the field of student exchanges, the Soviet
effort is not too successful.
The Role of Science in the "Transition to Communism"
The Soviets view sciences as indispensable in the transformation
of the material-technical and social-cultural aspects of their society.
In their view, science and technology alone afford the methods for
complex mechanization of industry, agriculture, construction and
transport; a planned changeover to automatic plants and enterprises;
rapid changeover to modern high-speed procedures for processing,
transmitting, and storage of information. These techniques, in turn,
would be of greatest significance in furthering scientific research,
industrial production, and state and economic management. Of equal
importance to Soviet leaders is the use of scientific methods to
transform the values and beliefs of their citizens and those of other
countries to conform with overall objectives. For these reasons,
certain aspects of learning theory, experimental psychology, psycho-
physiology, and social sciences are receiving significant support.
The Role of Ideology in Soviet Sciences
Ideology has been used by the Soviet regime as a managerial device
for control purposes and for the implementation of Party decisions.
Such Party decisions are based on dogmas of materialism and the class
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struggle which makes science "a tool for the subjugation of the forces
of nature and society to the interests of society." Ideological
"dogmas," confined for the most part to social science and biology,
have weakened those sciences; but physical science has not been
affected greatly. Differences in quality of work among various fields
of Soviet science occur partially because some scientists prefer to
enter fields that are least subject to doctrinal vagaries and to
leave the controversial fields to the less qualified but more
doctrinaire scientists. Ideological harassment by the regime, while
still evident, has lost the terror it had during the latter part of
the Stalin period, and its effects probably will not again be so
severe.
The Party also plays a direct role in the control and
administration of science. Since it is vitally interested in scientific
successes, the objectives of its policies on sciences, whether in
actuality they are good or bad, are to ensure these successes. The
powerful apparatus of the Party can actually have positive effects
on the conduct of research projects, particularly high-priority projects,
where it can break bureaucratic bottlenecks. Party officials often
are assigned to important scientific projects as political
administrators. Many are good administrators and are able to secure
the services of top scientists to aid in planning the project. These
scientists often recruit other scientists among'their friends to occupy
subordinate roles in the project.
May 23, 1962/
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