MINUTES OF THE SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL MEETING, GEOGRAPHICAL SOCITY USSR, HELD ON 2 MARCH 1950

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00809A000600400026-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 25, 2011
• Sequence Number: 26
• Publication Date: June 20, 1951
• Content Type: REPORT

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1!!'J FOREIGN DOCUMENTS OR RADIO BROADASTS CD .
DATE OF
'- CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE
f INFORMATION FROM
n, T 6ORMULN I IAL 50X1-HUM
CLASSIFICATION cOk:F..ENTIAL
AGENCY REPORT
SUBJECT Poa ticel - Con}..cl. of scientists
Srientif:x - Geophysics
DATE DIST. A
HOW
PUBLISHED a'izoat?h'-y Periodical
WHERE
PUBLISHED Leningrad.
DATE
PUBLISHED Jul 1950
LANGUAGE Russian..
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REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
Xzvestiya^Vseso zno8c Geogrraafic:heskoga Obshchestva, Vol L 'KII, No 4,
MINUTES OF THE SCIRNTII`IC COUNCIL M> ETING,
GEEOGRkPHICA1, SOt IETY TJSR9 HELD ON 2 MARCH 1950
The: Scientific Council of th^> Geographical Society USSR met on 2 March
1950. Ttoee present included members of the Scientific Council: Academician
L, S. Berg, A. cad.emician A. A, Grigor`yev, Professor V. Ye. Yegorov, Professor
V, V., Ksvravekiy, Professor S. V. Kal.esnik, Professor Oo A. Konstantinov, Pro-
fesscr A. , Korchsgin, Academician D. V. Nalivcin, Professor S. V. 0bruchev,
Professor N. N. Stepancv, Professor Ye. Ye. Shvede, Z. Yu. Shokal'skaya, can-
didate for Sci.enttfec Council memi r N. N. Sokolov; members of the Inspection
Commtesion., I,.1. Babkov, M B.. Voief, F. F. Davitays, Professor D. G. Panov,
K. A. Salishchev, A. P. Yushchenko; and members of the Geographical Society:
A. G,. Grigor`yeva,A A. G. Grwsm.Grzhimaylo, and N. T. Kuznetsov. Active mem-
ber of the Society F. 1. Bydi.n also attended. Chairm'+n of the meeting was
Academician L. S.. Berg, and Secretary was K. M. Zavadzktaya.
The minutes of the meeting of the Scientific Council held on 6 December
1949 were approved.
The participants heard the draft of a resolution of,_the Scientific Coun-
cil on the discussion of Alampiyev's article "For a Militant Geographical
Journal" which was drawn up by a commission composed of S. V. Kalesnik. 0.. A.
Konstantinov, and N. N. GrIbanov.
The following resolution was approved: the Scientific Council of the
Geographical Society USSR; 'having diAcussed Jointly with the leaders of the
society Alampiyev's article published 'Jr. Literaturnays Gazeta, No..94, 23 No-
vember 1949, states that Alampiyev has for the most part correctly pointed
out. the defects in the content of the journal Izvestiya Vsesoyuznogo Geograf-
icheskogo Obshchestva for 1948 and 1949.
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CONFIQSdj fp
The Journei has rarely published data on economic and political geography,
si;e i.g.Lly on the :'unomic geography of separate regions of the USSR and coun-
tries of the people's democracies. Problems of methodology in geography have
rccupi.ed very few pages, imil discussions of theoretical problems of geography
held in the fall of 1948 were not published in the journal. There were prac-
tically no articles with criticism of antiscientific bourgeois geographical con-
Several measures were taken from time to time to eliminate these defects,
But they did not produce the desired results, mainly because the editorial of-
fice failed to .request. articles on specific subjects, which were not covered
by the unsoiir.ited articles sent to the editorial office.. In addition, the de-
partmeot~ , s,nl. commis ions of the society were not organized. to give practical
~Iid to the ciit,o~r' of the journal The Scientific Council of the Geographical
Society consid.e,- Alampiyev'e article a document which will contribute to the
work of rhr. oc.ety and. its central publishing organization:.
To mprov~ radically the content of the periodical lzvestiya Vsesoyuznogo
Geograf.i. hesko~o Obshchectv~., the Scientific Council of the Geographical So-
c., ety.
1, Approved the resolution of the society's presidium concerning the ex-
pansion of the editorial staff by adding several Moscow members. The editorial
members are asc-i.gned the duty of organizing in Moscow with the help of the Mos-
cow members an author's collective association which will produce articles on
important 'sub jec t:s whi.ch. have rarely appeared in the journal.
2. Ordered the editorial board of the journal, upon obtaining material of
r.eeders correspondence conferences, to process this material end submit the re-
sults to the Scientific Council.
3, Ordered the editorial board of the journal to order systematically
articles by author.-, on important subjects connected with the most important
events in the life of our country, with international life,'and the fight on
the ideological front; noted with approval that the editors have already ordered
articles on the importance of the works of I, V. Stalin for geography, on the
economic geography of the Tuva.Autonomous Republic, on industrialization of
countries of the peoples, democracies, on the Mongolian People's Republic, and
co the People's Republic of China.
4. Ordered. the departments and commissions of the society to supply repre-
sentatives for permanent litdson witu the editors of the journal and to make it
the duty of presidiums of departments and commissions to give aid to the journal
by the active collection of articles for it. Such articles may be from the best
and most important scientific reports discussed at sessions of these departments
and commissions, and may be written independently on their personal initiative,
or upon request of the editors of the journal.
5, Decided in. hrtng the problem of the need for a larger journal again to
the consideration of the proper authorities.
6. Decided to draw up and discuss a report on the operation of the journal
at least once a year at meetings of the Scientific Council which will be attended
by m?ny members of the society.
7. Ordered improvement of the reviews publi_.shed in the journal to obtain
sharper criticism and ideological orientation.
8. Ordered the editors of the journal to develop a charter and draw up each
year a plan for ordering articles on the most important geographical subjects,
particularly on problems of methodology in geography, on criticism of bourgeois
pseudoscientific geographical theories, and on economic and political geography.
CONFIDENTIAL
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4. Ordered the editors of the journal to take the recommendations made by
mem~)er.s of this conference into conside*ation i1 all their future work?
10, Decided to inform the eiitorial board. of Li.teraturnaya Gazeta of this
session.., The complete minutes of the meeting will be sent to the Department of
Geo.Logicegeographica.l Sc_iences,Academy of Sciences USSR, for information.
The following members discussed a list of the most important scientific
problems to be worked on in 1950 by departments and commissions of the society
IS : V Kalesniic's report) A A.- Korchagin, K. A... Salishchev, Academician D.
V Nalivkin, F F De.viteya, N. B Vol'f, Academician A. .A. Grigor'yev, A.cadem-
tcian L. S Berg, and F I Bydin,
1 The following rough draft of ba-,ic scientific problems for departments
and commissions of the Geograpftc.a' Society be approved, for 1950,
a. Problems of the Ineory and Methodology of Science, the Priority of
Soviet Sr' -rice, Criticism of Bourgeois Pseudoscientific Theortec -- all depart-
ments and commissions
b "The Stalin Plan for Transformation of Nature" -?? the Department
of P:hysir_al Geography and. all its commissions, the Department of Biogeography
and its commissions, the Department of Economic Geography.
c,, Study of the City of Leningrad, Leningrad. Obla't, and the North-
wet RSFSR -- the Department of Physical Geography and all its commissions, the
Department of Biogeography, the Department of Economic Geography, the Commission
of .Military Geography, the Commission on the Study of Cities, the Cartographic
Commission, and the School Section,
d: The Study of China and Especially of Central Asia -- the Department
of Physical Geography.
e., Study of the Regime and Formation of Ground Waters in Connection
With Their Use for Construction, Agriculture, and Industry -- the Hydrogeological
Commission.
f. The Problem of Studying Deserts and Mountains in Connection With
Their Utilization the Commission of Geomorphology and Paleogeography, and the
Commission of High-Mountain Studies,
a.. The Factors of Soil Formation -- the Soil Commission,
h. The Geography of the Timber Industry -- the Commission on Waters
and Forests.
.i, Methods of Teaching Economic Geography in Higher Schools -- the De-
partment of Economic Geography.
J. Socialist Culture and Life of the Peoples of the USSR -- the Depart-
ment of Ethnography.
k. The Life and Culture of Countries of the People's Democracies
the Department of Ethnography;
C0NF10 111 TM T I A L
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m. History of Studies of the Arctic, Antarctic, and China -- the De-
partment of History of Geographical Sciences.
k, Landscapes i.n Military Geography -- the Commission of Military
Geography,
o, The Use of Aerial Surveying in Various Branches of Science and the
Economy -- the Commission of Aerial Surveying-
p,. Method.!; and Methodology of. School Geography -- the School Section.
2, All departments and commissions sbould supplement their. work plans with':
problems of the geography of countries of the people's democracies.
3 Toe departments and commissions should systematically discuss at their
;;F Ions the more important geographical wor?Ks published in the USSR.
The conclusions of the Expertise Commission on awarding the Great Gold
Medal of the Geographical Society for 1949 were read~by Academician D. V. Naliv-
din, Chairman.. The conclusions of the Expertise Commission on awarding.the?S-
Dezhnev prize for 1948 were read by Professor S. V. 0bru.hev, secretary of the
commission (because of illness of the commission chairman, V. Yu. Vize, Corre-
sponding Member, Academy of Sciences USSR),
The following participated in judging the various candidates.-,: Academician
A. A,. Grigor'yev, Academician L. S. Berg, A. A. Korchagin, S. V. Kalesnik, 0.,A.
Konstantinov, Ye. Ye. Shvede, and V., V. Kavrayskiy,
After detailed. consideration of the candidates and reports on the wor:_s
submi.tteci, the Scientific Council, having established the quorum necessary for
'voting, selected a counting committee composed of A. A,. Korchagin, N. N. Stepanov,
'and 1. 1. Babkov and proceeded. with the secret vote. Tweleve members of the Sci-
entific Council voted,
As a result of the voting, the Great Gold. Medal of the Geographical Society
for 194.9 with a prize of 25,000 rubles was awarded to V. Yu. Vize, on the basis
of Section It, Paragraph "d" in the regulations governing medals of the Geogxaph-
ical Society "for works in various branches of geography which throw completely
new light upon the ?'nst important and broadest problems of science.
The S. I. Dezhnev prize for. 1948 of 15,000 rubles was awarded to D. M. Kolo-
sov, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, for his work "The Problem of Ancient
Glaciation of the Northeast USSR."
Those attending the meeting also heard the proposal of the presidium of the
Geographical Society on changing the name of the Department of Mathematical Geo-
graphy to the Department of Mathematical Geography and Cartography,,
It was decreed that- (1) the Department of Mathematical Geography shall be
renamed the Department of Mathematical Geography and Cartography., having the
Aerial Photographic Surveying and Cartographic commissions; and that (2) re-elec-
tions of the bureaus of the department shall be held
11
UP 01 T~'111 .
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C0iN19E l A M.
lned by tue.presidium of the Geograpb-
it was aunoimced that 18 persons exem
icel Society hr~d been accepted ass active me hers Ye. of the aotkevich, Gy areKoro-
t, Yom. Andxey?v, N. N Gribanov,
LKCVich, PI .. G. 1?ikbavicvskiy, Y,),, M. Grtletskiy, Yu, A. Panteleyev, V. V. ono-
mm.reva, A. G. Svetlov, A, F, Senin, P. G. Sutyagin, V. V. Frolov, F Io Chervyak,
A, p. Chumin, I. D. Yurkevich, L. I Bcnifet'yeva, and G. V. Fedorova.
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