EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM DR. SCOVILLE TO MR. ANDRY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R000100090012-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 28, 2004
• Sequence Number: 12
• Publication Date: July 18, 1958
• Content Type: LETTER

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EXTRACT OF A LETTER FROM DR. SCOVILLE TO hR. AMORY
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18 July 1958
LJ We are now approaching the end of our third week and our
work has settled down into a fairly normal pattern Which is anything
b u t releasing. There are daily conference msetings from 3 . - 0 0 . PM to
60O or 7oOO PM9 followed by Western staff meetings and paper prepara-
tion at nights with review and more meetings and preparations the follow-
ing morning. On Saturdays we have had the dubious privilege of having
the meetings in the morning instead of afternoon, but tomorrow for the
first time there will be no conferenc
As you have gathered, after the first two days politics have
gone strictly out the window and we have stuck to technical subjects
with the only political skirmishing occurring over wording of
communiques. The acoustic problem was settled rather amiably and to
our complete satisfaction. We had expected little trouble in the
radioactivity section but ran into ' a real deadlock on the requirement
for aircraft samplings This is obviously a political problem so far
as the Soviets are concerned and I must say they have been rather
ineffective in'providing data to support their position. Fedorov9 on
the other hand is an adept spokesman and succeeds in muddying up the
waters and squirming out of tight positions. He is a very impressive
individual in many respects, but in this radioactivity section I have
found that he has not been technically too smart in the material he
has presented or in supplying answerso I believe we have backed them
into a very tight corner technically on this subject and when the
matter comes up for final resolution on Monday, I have a feeling they
will try and back down gracefully and go along with aircraft sampling
in some forma We have been very careful to have them realize no over-
flight is involved in order to ease the political situation, but even
so they are very sensitive. By the time you receive this you will
undoubtedly have seen the results of Fisk, et al9 dinner with Fedorov.
Also the complete memoranda for. record coming back via this same
pouch.
The seismic discussion has been on a much higher plane and in
this case there has been a real scientific difference of opinion.
For the first times the Soviet have data, albeit HE data, to support
their position. I believe that some resolution will occurs although
at the moment it appears to me there is some legitimate excuse for a
difference of opinion which unfortunately might be rather critical in
designing a final system.
In general,, the Soviet approach has been one of presenting theories,
usually quite simple and then trying to make a fact fit the theory.
USAF review(s) completed.
CONFIDENTIAL
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The U.S. approach has been one of presenting the facts and frankly
admitting that theories don?t work for most of these complicated
geophysical situations, Our reliance on data is the reason I
believe that we have been successful in making the major technical
points. They are very adept9 however9 at getting along with very
little. They are also adept at using U.S. data to support their
position instead of supplying any Soviet data on their own. I have
a feeling that this is not entirely due to security on their parts
but perhaps to the fact that they really do not have data available
to support many of their points o Their openness in the seismic field
is perhaps support for this thesis.
One of the most surprising items has been the apparent
acceptance on the part of the Soviet Union of the concept of
stations inside the country and even of mobile inspection teams.
They have actually brought the subject up quite frequently, while
we have been sitting back keeping a record for the time them this
is the zzaal topic of conversation.
I believe in general that our handling of the situation has
gone quite well. , It is Fedorov who seems to be in the tight
spots, although he should not be underestimated. The Soviet delega-
tion at the table is really quite weak with Semenov being the only
other person who can really speak competently in these fields,
Although Tama is a very competent p iccist9 he apparently knows
nothing about this field and is probably primarily there for dress
purposes. They have some competent scientists in the back rows but
I fear that our luminaries outshine them rather badly.
C 0 N P I D E M T I A L
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