ACADEMY OF SCIENCE'S ROLE IN FIELD EXPEDITIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00926A001800040002-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 6, 2012
• Sequence Number: 2
• Publication Date: December 29, 1949
• Content Type: REPORT

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ULA551r II;A I IUN CONb'nENTIALf US 03if 611d oxi~i
CENTRAL INTELLI CE AGENCY. REPORT
INFORMATION REPORT
COUNTRY U85R
SUBJECT ra d'yar of Sciencev a Role la 7191a
PLACE
ACQUIRED
DATE
ACQUIRED
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES WITHIN THE MEANING OF THE ESPIONAGE ACT SO
U. S. C.. 31 AND 32, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR THE REVELATION
OF ITS CONTENTS IN ANY MANNER TO AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON 15 PRO-
HIBITED BY LAW. REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
STATE
ARMY
AWN
a --s
e Academy of Sci,!eiens ha& v -, aY:s.s rn bod,s of de te1 nA. '.:tg w:~etbax? f 3.=,.
expeditions were eVessa.-,y. F~awat9~e , thara was a fatr1Qu set rout-nCI to M
fellowed, which applied to almost a;. , s~;i n t: flc sxplodatio. Por tha"_pfar j s
of explanation we will ass-me that an a.:^,.tvaeologica11 or botanical exp!d3W .on
was proposed. and we will outline the gsxne:? steps which would be followed..
The idea for an expedition was as all,1.r iat rods w;e~i when a senior scientist
who was an academician, a o~?xRrlao d3~~(~ member of the A ademcr or a Osc entfflc
cooperator of the first classOl (X00M 'I SOTRUDN PERVOGO ELZRI ) would
deliver a dissertation at a Ralantlfl0 sesss?j can of the wiem r (i.. e. hi.s t0lay
of h and s wh a co-mtiy o-f the USSR, or plants of such and s a part
of the SP~4 This dissertation wo,,%Id incl Jde all data taken from a7ail.able
books and reference works plus first"ts td observatio .s made by the ses.entist.
In conclusion it would be stresssed that there were many links missing and tg
present knowledge was incomp et,-m v but that If it were Completed. it WO-L.ct be
of inestimable valor, to the Acael >. a. a. the USSR. It wad be pok ted. out
that a field expedition would b1?s~ IZc~coasa~ ~, to reeol'e existing question's.
After hearing the proposals, scion i.s is atte:ading the meeting would dA secs
the problem among themselves and would des.-.& whether or not.-the e ed.tti')n
was necessary. The director of the a 3pr gip:.,' ate scion ifi c 3n ~ e of the
.d :ad.ea>a t would make a formal application to the appropriate ct t m of the
Ace , If It, were to be an archaeological expedition, the application,:,,
would..be addressed to the Department of Rist'xy and Philosophy, or if it wore
botanical it wo?il& go to the Dopa ?tme ~.t of B1?loog Gal Sciences. At a session
of the members of the co trerned, the application would be discussed.,
and, if appro dy they would make recommendations and -til pass the application
al.o to the Presidium of the dlu:adamy. When the Prasidi?:a t approved it they
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would implement the plan by including it in their budget for the next "Five
Year Plan"., If the expedition. ,g, urgent and warranted a high priority it
could be ineli?coed in the' 00current year's plans. In this connection the Academy
used to have very broad. year plans" which could include almost anything. The
following outline is a typical example of a 0eyear'a plan" for historical re-
search:
A. History of the Peoples of the USSR
(1) Research work
(a) Manuals
(b History of Feudalism
(c Struggle for National liberation
(d Imperialism and the Respective Peoples
(e Prehistory othe Soviet Union
(2) Publ catio a.#f first-hand sources
(a) .Historical works in native languages
(b) Papers from Russian archives concerning a certain Period
(3) Pi ld Work
(a Archaeological expeditions to the area in question.
A teysare s plan" included
so many phases of research that ii' proposals for an expedition were approved
by the Presidium they could be written into the plan without much difficulty.
After the Presidium informed the proper institute that the expedition had been
approved, details would be requested. The detailed plan would be submitted to
the director of the department having ;jurisdiction, and he would be. notified.
by the Presidium as to the amount of funds to be allocated for the expedition.
Itemized lists of equipment needed., such as tents, cameras, film, tools and
special clothing, would be submitted by the institte to the "Committee of
Expeditions" of the Academy. The function of the latter two groups was
purely mechanical, as the Presidium approval overruled any interference by
lesser department. As a practical matter it was not difficult for the
scientist to get his project approved, particularly if he were a ere
t in the Academy, and if he could find within the "Five Year P110-or
year's plan" a title which.-would apply to his expedition.
If the scientist was .wise, he usually managed to get the local government or
scientific institute to take an interest in the expedition before he made his
original dissertation at the scientific session. If the local institute was
interested, it would immediately inform the local party republican committee.
The latter would communicate with the director of the ,nstitute of the Academy
of Sciences, stating that they would welcome the expedition. If the local
authorities expressed enough interest they would offer the services of local
people pnd would agree to provide some of the funds. Such offers made it
easier for the institute to get project approval from the Presidium.
Sometimes when a local government was interested in an industrial or economical
development, such as the establishment of a factory to manufacture synthetic
rubber from Xok-Sag,yz (a resinous plant in Razakh.' Republic) , they would re-
quest an expedition to discover new sources of raw material. An application
wouald.be sent to the Presidium. Prom there it would be passed along to the
eDartmen concerned, and then it would be sent to the ,,stiitute for action.
The procedure for initiating the expedition at.the request of a local govern-
ment was the same as that used by an individual scientist in seeking approval
for exploration.
On occasion the Presidium of the Academy would receive an order from the
Council of Ministers to organize an expedition. ( Academy is now under the
Council of Ministers, but formerly Jate not state the Academy was sub-
ordinate to the Council of Peoples Commissars,-the SOVNARSOM). As a rule
such expeditions were geological, botanical, climatological, seismological
or hydrological, and were carried out for the purpose of developing the USSR
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expedition in. their "?ive Years or flyer a plan co. Orders were sent to the
dnartment concerned and from there the instructions were sent down to the
appropriate :itute for implementation.
After an expedition had been completed the leader and main participants would
make report in a smssion of the det tmen concerned. An exception to this
procedure was made when the expedition had been ordered by" the Pres: d,ium. In
this case the report was made in a session of the Presidium. 50X1-HUM
industrial, ormilitax r potential. In such'' a es ' hee Presidi m 3no7. ?d the
It was not difficult to get approval for an. e cpeid :tion, but owing to the un-
pleasant consequences of failure, the pattern of approach required careful
planning. The basic requirement was an . unsolved scientific problem which
could be solved only by sending out an expedition. In addition, the scientist
or ia,s was required to prove that the problem was unsolved, and that a
solution would contribute much to the status of scientific enterprise. All
,possible methods of proving that the expenditure of time and. money would be
worthwhile were considered before the proposals were made. The scientist
gained, moral support. in determining in advance the attitude of, the local
government and the scientific bodies toward his proposed expedition. Bow far
an ,A a emy scientist would go in making proposals was determined by local in
,foranat'ion. and his own observations. Exploratory expeditions were not advisable
failure
because the results were` indefinite and if the expedition resulted In
the scientist was in danger of being accused of wasting money, or of sabotage.
Therefore, an expedition to explore the possible oil deposits of a certain
area would not have,.,'been. proposed as an oil prospecting expedition, but instead
the scientist woul&call it a geological expeditions.. The name was harmless,
and if oil were dis}overed incidentally the expedition would be considered more
than successful..
statute could not propose an expel - ti )n Which was not entirely within its
field of endeavor. If the expedition were to be complex, each stitute
involved prepared proposals applicable to its field. Elements covered is the
proposal were&
Aim of the expediti?n.
Location (country and detailed list of area to be explored)
Participants and role of each
Method of work
Time schedule
The overall plan'-'included an estimate of expenditures and a list of all special
equipment. In addition the plan had to show that the accomplishment of the
expedition would serve the purpose of developing the socialistic economy or
would assist in proving the Marxist-Isainist theory 50X1-HUM
The primary organization and direction of a. singlepurpose expedition was the
;
responsibility of the director of the sti.tute concerned.. If the venture
to cover several fields, an over-all leader was appointed and he was respozist--
ble for all departments, Field leaders were responsible for the actual
operations. When failures occurred there was an attempt made to place the
blame upon the responsible person. If the original organization was adequate,
but someone in the field fell down on the job, the fieldmen would receive the
reprimand. The burden of proof lay with the jgLojil-ate director or the general
leader, in answering the Presidiums charges of failure.
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Circumstances would dictate whether local contacts were to be made prior to
the departure of the expedition. It was not necessary to make any previous
contacts in order to receive approval from any local government or police
officials.
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Expeditions were organized by instit es or by the Presidium of the Academy,,
People were appointed by one of these bodies for the actual task of organizing
each expedition. The local government was sometimes the official organizer
of the expedition. In this case the.government supplied the aim of the ex-
pedition, designated the place, and appropriated-the Rands. The local
government did not interfere with the scientific organization of the expe-
dition, but, merely handled the administrative and of it.
The SOVNA1XOM (now the Council of Ministers of the'.USSR) organized some
expeditions, primarily those which went abroad (e.g. Mongolia and. Sinkiang).
During the.period 19241935 there was a MONGOL Commission within the SOVNARSOM.
This group was engaged in research work in Outer Mongolia and Tannu Tuva.
In 1936 the commission became part of the Academy of Sciences, but even in 1937
the SODOM had Jurisdiction over the aims of the expeditionns and the places
in Mongolia to which they would be sent. the SOVKAZEOM financed these expe-
ditions.
There was no government liaison with the leaders of the expeditions. Govern-
ment-sponsored expeditions were.those which the government ordered the Academy
of Sciences to conduct. In this case the government actually controlled only
the followings
The results of the expedition
I?inances for the expedition 50X1-H
Selection of personnel (when the expedition was abroad).
The personnel of a field expedition consisted of a leader, who was usually
a doctor or a "higher scientist"* a group of 8?scientific cooperators of the
first class". or professors, doctors, and occasionally some candidates for
degrees and assistant professors; auxiliary personnel who were laboratory
workers, collectors, preparators, and. engineers,(when there was mining or
,excavating to be done);-and ordinary workers. Candidates of science were
appointed to lead expeditions if there were no doctors or high-,r -ng
scientists available.
Government officials never accompanied the expeditions. If there were more
than five people going on an expedition there were nearly always some party
members included, and on very large expeditions the party secretary went
along.
.Secret police did not accompany expeditions in their official capacity. If
secret MVD men were sent on expeditions they went as scientists. The MVD.
did not send men on expeditions unless they were scientists, because theLr
missions of acting as informers and observers could n.ot be carried out
.successfully if other members of the expeditions suspected them of being
14VD representatives. Police.guards (regular militiamen) accompanied
expeditions which were sent into dangerous area where there known to be
3,asmatchee rebels or robbers.
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The local police were not contacted prior to the arrival of an expedition.
Upon arriving the expedition members would report to the police to register
the same as any other civilian. There was nothing special about the regis-
tration of expedition members.
Academy members and employees). The Secret Department reque.ited the indiviauats
local MVD to issue the passes _ after a careful check was made on the applicant.
This took about three weeks. When the individual got into the restricted zone
he reported to the MVD to register and upon leaving he reported again to have
his pass stamped indicating his date of departure from the area.
In forbidden zones there were no expeditions except those sponsored by the MVD.
Forbidden zones included the land fringes along the entire USSR border. The
depth of the forbidden area in Azerbaijan and Armenia was 25 kilometers in
Central Asia 100 kilometers, and in Siberia 200 kilometers. 'Completely for-
bidden areas were the recently acquired. areas 'of linland., all the Baltic
countries, Eastern Prussia, and areas where there were concentration camps.
During the period, 1934?193'7 there was an MVD-sponsored expedition to the
area near Modon Kul in the Buriat Mongol Republic, some twenty miles from the
Mongol People's Republic frontier. Wolfram, iridium, and thorium were dis.-
covered by the expedition and now there are mines and factories there which
are operated by the MVD, On the original expedition there were many MVD
people in addition to the regular personnel of the Academy, who worked under
the direct supervision of the MVD. 50X1-HUM
Visas were not necessary for travel between-the various states of the USSR.
If the expeditions travelled into Mongol Peoples Republic or Sinkiang it was
necessary to get visas. When an expedition was to travel in a restricted zone
all members were required to get a special pass from the MVD office located.
in the town if their permanent residence. The restricted areas were:
All of Siberia east of Irkutsk
The Republics of Turkmen, Uzbek, Tadzhik, Kazakh, Kirgiz,
Azerbaijan,, Armenia.
To obtain these special passes all members of the expedition surrendered their
identity papers and orders to the Secret Department of the, Academy (a branch
of the MVD within the Academy which kept all the -personnel records of the
Expeditions did not proceed on ,a precise time schedule. In the original
plan it would be indicated that the expedition would rim from April through
October, and if the work took place in several localities a very general
time schedule would be used.
.Usually scientific reports were published on the results of an expedition.
The exceptions were:
Results of an expedition dealing with the material having a military or
political classification.
Results of a secret expedition into a foreign country.
.Q. Information on discoveries of uranium, wolfram, thorium, iridium, vanadium,
lead, aluminum, oil, molybdenum, manganese.
Information containing descriptions of areas in which metals or minerals
mentioned in . were located, even if there was no reference to the
metals or minerals.
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,. Results of unofficial expeditions to Sinkiang or Manchuxia.
All material which was published appeared in publications of the Academy of
Sciences, the Geographical Society, Committee of (3eso.I.e3,gv, or other USSR
scientific magazines and periodicals. Nothing was released for publication
in foreign countries or satellites.
The scientific ,reports were just as elaborate as in olden times. They were
completely and highly scientific. If distortions appeared they would be in
the field of history and archaeology. For reaeons,of security, geological
and natural science reports were sometimes very brief.
No foreign publishers printed anything concerning expeditions, not even
former independent states which have now become satellites.
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