U.S. BASE IN ANTARCTIC ADOPTS SOVIET SCIENTIST AS ITS MASCOT

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700460018-9
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 7, 2004
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: October 18, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

NEW YORK flMLS OCT 18 1963
Approved For Release 2004/12/15: CIA-R
U. S. Base in Antarctic Adopts
Soviet Scientist as Its Mascot
By ALLYN BAUM
Sp ecia1 to The New York Timis
MCMURDO SOUND, Antarc- the Battle of Stalingrad, is $9
tica, Oct. 4 -- The mascot of years old. Married, he has two
McMurdo Is a shy, pot-bellied, children, Sergei, 12, and Mariya,
avuncular Russian with twin-16.
kling blue eyes behind gold- When Dr. Tarakanov arrived
rimmed glasses, here. he worn it Rn.ainn .,.,1e..
an exchange scientist, arrived; outfit-wool shirt and under-
here from Leningrad, where he'clothes, leather jacket, trousers
is dean 'of meteorology at the~and felt boots lined in shear-
Institute of Hydro?metco'ology,;line
a school for metecu?ogicnl andj He has since taken to wear-
hydrological engineers, his vo-
cabulary in English was limited Ing Navy issue clothing-"one
to one word, heavily accented- doesn't like to be a white crow"
"please." -although while working over
Six months of daily joshing,{his charts, he often wears a
American movies, rock 'n roll;tubeteika, a small skullcap that
music, political banter, and a is part of the national dress of
class he conducted in Russian Tashkent In Uzbekistan,
for the wintering-over party at Dr. Tarakanov has been work.
McMurdo have made him pro-!ing on 13 daily weather studies.
ficlent in American vernacular .I Dr. Tarakanov's hobbles have
His favorite expression 'is, "Not included playing the piano and
bad." i photography:
"It has been necese.iry for. The high point of his stay
me to talk by radio with Mirny~catne on May Day, a few weeks
'[the Soviet Antarctic baso!,aftei;the Antarctic darkness
1
0
,8
0 miles away) just to keepihad really set in. American per-
my hand in my native Russian," 1 sonnel gave a party for him
lie said. "I have already for-;that was, as he described it,
gotten several words. I've had."a helluva smash." lie was
to go back to my dlciionary,given a movie camera and a
to look them up." ;four-tiered cake, trimmed in
Dr. Tarakanov had been some-'red and inscribed in Russian.
what apprehensive about hisi Dr. Tarakanov has developed
reception at thi
A
s
merican base.
However, he was soon put at
ease by the commanding officer,
Comdr Robert Marvel, and
taken in tow by the scientists
of the United States Antarctic
Research Program. He was im
mediately nicknamed "Gin."
"What kind of name is this
for a scientist?" he declared.
He dislikes Western movies-
"too violent" He loves bourbon
-"warms the gullet... He
swoons over cheeseburgers-
"they're like our cosmonaut-
out of this world."
He also thinks Americans are
wonderful-"a warm, warm
people"-finds the Antarctic
weather InriIn11it'
w
everyone begins calling me Gin'.predictablet-
and would like to
.to, alright, I?m Gin." (visit McMurdo again-"I've had
Dr. 1arakanov, a veteran of:a magnificent time."
vaanax y .&at . npJIV?y Va.
Leningrad, is popular with Amerrlcans at 3MMurdo Sonnd.
Approved For Release 2004/12/15 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000700460018-9