FACTS ON SCIENTISTS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78-03061A000400010016-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 5
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 28, 2012
• Sequence Number: 16
• Publication Date: September 1, 1966
• Content Type: REPORT

Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/06/28: CIA-RDP78-03061A000400010016-1
September 1966
Facts on Scientists
A. Educational training in the U.S. and USSR (as of November 1965):
1)
Total number of persons with higher education
(in millions)*
11.0
6.0
2)
Of the above total, the number of persons
educated in science, technology, and
education**
5.5
5.4
?. Awards of Nobel Laureates in science:
(percentages of total awards in science)
Field
1901-25
1226-45
1946-65
US
Russia, USSR
US USSR
US
USSR
Physics
7%
0%
25% 0%
49%
17%
Chemistry
0
0
10 0
39
4
Medicine and
Physiology
4
4
31 0
68
0
*Soviet data from USSR v Tsifrekh
**Breakdown of total assumed to be the same as in 1959, when 50% in
the US and 90% in the USSR were educated in these 3 fields
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 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/06/28: CIA-RDP78-03061A000400010016-1
THE CURRENT DIGEST'
OF THE SOVIET PRESS
July 6, 1966
Discussing G. Popov's Article "Efficiency Is the Line": * AS- should encompass the branch research institutes, the special-
SOCIATIONS ARE NEEDED. (By Candidate of Technology U. ized design bureaus, tire, experimental plants or shops, tihe'i
Mikheyev. Izvestia, June 14, p. 4. Complete text:) Everybody services for adjustment, introduction of new equipment arn
knows that saving time on the development and introduction of guaranteed repairs, technical information bureaus and training
new technology is of great importance to the national economy. courses to raise the qualifications of industrial workers.
Under the present system of planking and organizing research, It is important to think out properly the procedure for fit ant-
however, practically none of the researchers is morally oi- lug the research. Financing from the state budget is the i re-
materially interested in finishing projects ahead of time. Any vailing procedure now, and every institute has been askingl for
b
r
planned schedules for the completion of research are, as a
rule, established with considerable leeway.
Scientific research is still planned "in bulk"-in number of
su
ject, the
efore, is worked out strictly according to plan,
taking two to three years and sometimes longer, though the
more allocations from year to year, regardless of the needs of
its subject plan. T'he reduction of allocations, on the other
hand, is everywhere regarded as the curtailment of research.
This view stems from the incorrect practice of financing: 't'he
money is. paid out not for prolilenis but for scientific institjtidns.
flow should the budget allocations is's'ued by the industry}}1-
branch ministries for the development of science he distrf(iuted?
I think only the part of the budget funds intended to financellex-
ploratory, basic-research projects should be passed dir ocly to
the science-production association. T'he remaining funds would
best be transferred to the industrial. organizations that conclude
ceononhic contracts with the association for working out problems
of importance to the entire branch or, at any rate, to a groiup of
kindred enterprises. Then the science-production association
will acquire a client who will control the course of its wort and
will be obligated upon its completion to apply the results of the
subjects, wage funds and total volume of financing. That is
why the directors of institutes, departments and laboratories
exert every effort year after year to obtain a greater number
of subjects and more allocations, instead of tackling the intri-
cate scientific-technical problems of industry and solving
th
i
em w
th a minimal outlay of material and loss of time.
In the evaluations of the work of the branch research insti-
tutes no account is taken of such indices as the volume of ex-
penditures on the elaboration of subjects and the effect gained
from the introduction of new technology in the national econ-
omy. And this is regarded as normal. The point is that the
branch institutes are usually financed from the state budget research in his own enterprise.
and bear no responsibility for the application of the finished A number of other economic measures should be carried out
projects. And after all, there is a long way to go from the in addition to changing the financing procedure. In particulaah?,
completion of the project to its application in industry. Ex- the science-production association should have its own fixed
perimental models must be designed and prepared, the defects assets and working capital. It must have the right to recd e
discovered must be removed, and technical documentation short-terns credits for the develoihtnent of its own production
must be prepared for series production of true new product;. base.
When passing,through all these stages, the innovation often Finally, there must be changes in the organization of then re-
"knocks about" from one organization to the next.. The situa- search itself and in the wage system. The beginning of woik on
tion is aggravated by the fact that the design bureaus at the . a subject, hence the beginning of the financing of such workl
,
plants are not too interested in finding applications for ideas now depends on the time limits fixed in the subject plan. 1i
born at the institutes, since their own (not always better)proj practice, half, and at limes even more, of the period assigned
ects will bring them larger bonuses. The experimental plants for the completion of a subject is spent acquiring equipment,
j are frequently under the jurisdiction of other departments instruments, devices and materials-in short, deciding various
~?J and are very loath to accept orders "from outside." organizational and economic questions. This can be avoided if
The institute, design bureau and experimental plant cannot credit is established ahead of time for "material outfitting'(' of
do without such a link as the industrial enterprise, i.e., with- forthcoming research (the researchers, as a rule, know what
out the consumer. And that consumer is drawn into the crea-
tion of new equipment at almost the last stage, when experi-
mental models or new technology must undergo industrial
tests.
They should be built on an economic-accountability basis within the pace at which such technology is worked out and introcueed.
this will comprise long before it is officially included in the
plans).
The further improvement of the wage system envisaged by the
All these links ought to be united in a single chain. flow is scientific institutions as well. This should be a stimulus to at-
this to be done? A good proposal was made on this score in taming a higher level of research and high effectiveness, 1
the article by G. Popov, First Secretary of the Leningrad City shortening the schedules and expenditures on designing aia
Party Committee, headed "Efficiency Is the Line" (Izvestia introducing new equipment. This requirement would be met in
No. 123, 1966). The article points out the necessity of the es large part by piecework payment for certain groups of staff
tablishment of science-production associations capable of workers, or for the entire collective engaged in the pursui~ of
effecting a noticeable increase in labor productivity in the the subject.
sphere of scientific research, of reducing the time needed for And another proposal: The science-production association
the incorporation of ideas in finished products and of eliuhinat- should be covered by the Statute on the Socialist State Produc-
lag parallelism in the work of the institutes. tion Enterprise,* ratified by the U.S.S.R. Council of Ministers.
'c'hat,' I think, is the right way to consolidate the ties of set- The science-produetiom associations could assume full r;e-
ence with production. 1 should also like to present my views on sponsibility for the, high level of their scientific research, for
what these science-production associations ought to be like, the national-ecotioniic effectiveness of new'technology and', for
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 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/06/28: CIA-RDP78-03061A000400010016-1
The Current Digest of
the Soviet Press
June 15, 1966
Proposals for Riisig the Productivity of Science
Life and Problems of Science: EFFICIENCY IS THE LINE.
(By C.. Popov, First Secretary of Leningrad City Party Com-
i mittee. Izvestla, May 27, p. 3. 2,200 words. Condensed text:)
.., It is particularly characteristic of modern science that it
downfall was not his ignorance, but his elementary crooked-
ness. Such incidents are the result of poor control over the
scientific activity of workers on the part of the administration
and public organizations. The obvious overstaffing at certSiln
Leningrad, for example, the number of scientific workers has
Increased over the past seven years 11 times faster than the
number of workers employed in industry. But whereas the
volume of industrial production has increased 150% with an
insignificant expansion of personnel, the increase in the number
of workers in scientific and design organizations has not been
accompanied by a significant increase in the effect of their
What Is the matter? One of the reasons for such a situation,
design institutions: The path of a scientific idea into production
is often very difficult and long. Sometimes an idea conceived
in our country is realized much faster abroad.
of cadres in scientific and design Institutions. Profundity of
thought, the talent of the workers and their selection and place-
nient have more decisive significance in science than anywhere
else. The problem of cadres for scientific Institutions is com-
plicated, not to be solved with the stroke of a pen, but it must
nevertheless be solved. Institutes often are short of the neces-
ers Is unusually difficult.
have the abilities of a designer might be able to work success-
fully in a shop, but not everyone is conscientious enough to
leave it well-paid position and go where he will be of more use.
I ant not even speaking of the dishonest workers who give noth-
Ing to society and only make a show of activity.
I think it is time to give the directors of scientific institu-
tions the right, with the agreement of the public, to apply to
such "tireless idlers," in the apt words of satirists, the strict-
est measures, right up to dismissal from work. It is also nec-
essary to increase the siguificitnce of competitions and to hold
them not formally but so that the-c will be real competitive-
ness, in which the most qualified will will. It would be highly
LV+ useful to charge institutes and design bureaus with deciding their
Gown personnel questions within the limits of the wage fund.
Then the labor of scientists, engineers and technicians will he
paid for more precisely, in accordance with quantity and qual-
ity, And why not, say, take away from scientific staff workers
who over a specific period of time have not yielded the requi-
site benefit the monetary raise they. receive. for their rank?
person. in the final analysis the collective always knows who
works strenuously and who is marking time. Nevertheless,
barren flowers are still often tolerated: It is realized, of
course, that such a person is getting paid for nothing, people
are angry inside but ashamed to say anything about it openly, it
is awkward.
We have cases in which scientists avoid participation in com-
petition, holding competitive positions only by appointment. For
example, at the Research institute for Lake, River and Fishing
Resources, only one out of 14 laboratory directors was chosen
by competition, and only two out of 68 senior scientific staff
members.
where he does not belong and wants to create the appearance of
constructive labor will propose a string of outwardly profound
but essentially "senseless" subjects for scientific development.
Such were the circumstances under which the rascal and swin
dice Gendlin could flourish * Without having any education, he
held the rank of doctor of sciences and "directed" two labora-
*lSee Current Digest of the Soviet Press, Vol. XVII, go. 11, pp.
for scientific "barren flowers."
Needless to say, there is also a material side of the matter
concealed behind these, so to speak, moral problems. The
impulse of engineers who have defended their dissertation to
leave the plant for the Institute is dictated by considerations of
a material nature. In production there are no Increments of-
fered for scholarly rank, Is this not the reason why in Lenin-
grad only 70 people out of the large detachment of candidates
and doctors of sciences work at enterprises? ...
In our opinion It would be expedient to create scientific
production complexes capable of noticeably increasing Labor
productivity In the sphere of scientific research, reducing the
schedule for the incorporation of concepts in finished products
and eliminating parallelism In the work of a number of hn$ti-
tutes. For this it is necessary to transfer single-specialty
for industrial enterprises to scientific and design organizations
The question of Increasing the efficiency of research activity
at higher educational institutions has long been urgent. At
present this powerful reserve of scientific progress Is being
must become important research centers with powerful labora-
tory, design and technological facilities and, in sonic places,
an experimental production base. Higher educational institu-
tions need direct contact with the existing branch ministries,
which would give assignments, control the introduction of
scientific developments in industry and help higher educational
institutions in expanding their experimental production base.
Much is now being done in the Leningrad Party organization
to increase the labor efficiency of scientists, engineers and
technicians. But however intently local organizations deal
with this problem, it is impossible to improve the administra-
tion of science and perfect its planning and economic Incentives
without special solutions on a country-wide scale.
Much of what has been said in this article is not new. I
raised some of these questions in Izvestia nearly two years
ago in the article "Labor, Science and Creativity"" and 'e-
ceived many letters from readers who ardently supported the
propositions set forth. At the same time, no one objected to
these proposals, neither the U.S.S.R. Ministry of Higher and
Secondary Specialized Education nor the U.S.S.R. Academy of
Sciences, However, no changes have ensued, although these
very agencies, together with the newly created U.S.S.R. Council
of Ministers' State Committee for Science and Technology, are
called upon to struggle for the elimination of obstacles on the
path of the further development of science.
What we need In order to get rid of cases of scientific bar-
renness is the introduction of scientific organization of~labor
not only at industrial enterprises but above all at research
and design institutes. Moreover, control here must be'no less
strict than in industry, It is necessary to mechanize as much
as possible the labor of the scientist and to reduce the expendi-
tures of time on making calculations, compiling information
material and correspondence. Nevertheless, at the scientific
and draft institutions in Leningrad there is one technician for
every two engineers, while the ratio should be the other way,
around. As a result, irrational use is made of many specialists.
."Current Digest of the Soviet Press,, Vol. XVI, No. 31, pp,
nn nn
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More than 300 research organizations, determining the tech-
nical policy of a whole series of branches, are concentrated in
Leningrad. The fate of dozens of pIiulis, fi-ctorics and con-
struction projects depends on how efftcitvitly they work. Mean-
by a poor arrangement of economic work, an inability to count
money or Increase labor productivity. In some places workers
dissertations and are little concerned with the national-eco-
nomic significance of what they have invented.
The collectives of certain design institutes deserve serious
reproach. For example, the State Plastics Enterprise Design
Institute so poorly fulfilled the design for the Okhta Chemical
Combine that the pneumatic transport system built by its speci-
i
l
sca
..
cutnttuttt5 in the designs and estimates 01 the Leningrad
Design Institute for Housing and Civil Construction. In two
years alone, builders have spent almost 2,000,000 rubles on
correcting the mistakes made by this Institute. The projects
i the Leningrad branch of the State Design Institute for Gas Puri-
fiti I
caonnstallations, the State Design Institute for Rubber In-
dustry Enterprises and the Leningrad State Design Institute for
would be expedient to extend the Statute on the Socialist Produc-
tion Enterprise to research institutes and design bureaus, with
consideration for the specific character of their work. This
would make it possible to strengthen economic accountability,
curtail the time periods for projects and their introduction in
production, and increase the material interest of collectives in
the results of their labor.
In a number of instances we consider it expedient to take the
path of merging small research institutes, in which the number
of people on the staff sometimes does not exceed 50, into larger
scientific organizations. This would make it possible to unite
scientific forces and to eliminate parallelism In work and
would also bring a certain degree of economy in connection with
reducing the payroll.
Up until now I have been speaking primarily of the research
and organizational activity of scientific and design institutions.
But we cannot forget about ideological work. It is no accident
that in collectives where scientific yield.is small and the
amount of work is poor, we often cone up against instances of
apoliticism. Needless to say, in concrete scientific research,.
element. But it should be within the person himself 1 To put it
more simply, I am speaking of the political conviction of the
researcher. Do we not know plenty of scientists who, even in
times most difficult for iiicui, when they were subjected to
undeserved attacks, held onto their own convictions and con-
tinued to work consistently and honestly, thereby presenting
young people with models of service to science? I
..............,..t.. ...... .,tt....
eo
le be
a
s
I emphasize young
p
p
c
u
e
cted
of life, the harmony of logical conclusions, the romance of re-
search and the democratism of human and creative interrela-
tions. This process is natural. It has a certain tradition: It
is well known that Mendcleyev created the periodic system at
the age of 35. Lobachevsky developed non-Euclidian geometry
at 34. Galois, Einstein and. Bohr put forth their basic ideas
the scientific heights; but however daring and constructive the
ideas of young people are, their development and concrete
realization are in many ways dependent on the personality of
the researcher, on how he understands the responsibility for an
assigned task, in a word, on fostering Marxist-Leninist convic-
tion. in every yoking scientist. Limiting our range of interests
to specialized knowledge alone means robbing ourselves and
our talent, which can develop successfully only if it is nurtured
with ardent civic feeling.
and economic problems, it is the duty of, every Soviet scientist
to walk in step with life, to develop in himself lofty Bolshevik
principles, efficiency and the ability to take a revolutionary
initiative in any matter.
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 Declassified and Approved For Release 2012/06/28: CIA-RDP78-03061A000400010016-1
the situation and be convinced as to why people did not fulflill
THE PARTY'S GUIDING ROLE
their assignment. And it is completely inadmissible to punish
s
o
S
ecial
e n
p
Committee and Scientific Institutions. ws
p
~??? ?
We had a long and detailed talk aboutall this with t3. I. tiato?
f detailed _t about
dents A. Navozov and V. Rout. Pravda, May 25, pp. 2-3. 2.800 ?_ ~_ -
r, .. ..this tinw?a r?,.n.:,w?...
o
WVIUb, GAt: t: 1. -rta.! r?voav?
there are dozens of research institutes, higher educational In- tnry of the Novocherkassk Industrial District Party Commit.
st1tutlons and drafting and design organizations. Each of these tee), and his successor, G. P. Korostovol. It was strange Ito
institutions needs the support and attention of the Party corn hear them say:
"But somebody must answer for It If the Party committee's
mittees.
uidance of scientific collec- assignment Is not fulfilled."
Th_ c_e....ti
t
' r--'. -Party
s
s
g
ecial
such --
-
- -
s
I
h
- --- ----
--
--
-
as its uar..
p
t
1 fives is not a simple matter, of course.
traits, its own peculiarities. It requires first of all a very good Institutions and their cadres possible? First of all, the Rostov
.n
t t
a
h the eon rota Tina and
oes no
e
c
b
h
g
A group for modernizing the motor of the v L-Liu electric off tctals of city andorou i at. ay co
locomotive reported to the Party committee of the Novocher- Party style of guiding scientific Institutions and their primary
kassk Electric Locomotive Plant. Despite great efforts, it had Party organizations. ...
not been able to ascertain the reasons for inconsistencies in the State Interest Is the Chief Criterion.- .. We had an e -
motor's operation and to put the machine into working order, tensive c iTscussion with M. S. Solomentsev, First Secretary of
Nor could the Party committee ascertain these reasons, Never- the Rostov Province Party Committee, about problems of the
thcless, it punished the specialists who headed the moderniza_ development of science, strengthening its ties with practice
lion group for inefficictit solution of technical questions." V. P. and the role of the Party organizations in this matter. He,be-
Yanov, chief designer of the All-Union Electric Locomotive Re- i lteves that the Party committees, including the province Party
search Institute, was reprimanded. Yu. V. Romanov, chief : committee, still do not utilize all their opportunities for rats-
technologist.of the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Piant, ing~the level of Party guidance of scientific institutions,
was war uca+.
sponstbility of A. L. Kurochka, assistant director for the scion- experimental facilities, whose decision depends not only, And
What is
mmittee
t
i
Pa
c
h
th
y
.
nce
r
, on
e prov
o
tific sector of the institute, who was ill at that time, after his not even so muc
recovery. (It should be explained here that the institute and the needed here Is a firm line of conduct for economic organtza-
plant are located on the same production site and that their Lions: If you build a new plant or create a new institute, bl gin
are headed by the plant Party with the experimental base.
anizations being related
r
t
P
,
g
y o
ar
, committee.) Much can be decided on the spot. But In order to strengthen
-
e were reasons ?v w
rler
year before, the Novocherkassk Electric Locomotive Plant was Party committees must delve thoroughly Into the researc ers'
onding
rtance for the corres
its im
li
d
i
p
po
ze
sua
v
swamped with countless complaints: The motors of the new work an
eight-axle VL-80 electric locomotives were going out of corn- branches of science and. technology. It is not enough to take
mission quickly. The trouble was that the plant had producect . an Interest in the institutes' communiques and reports or to
a large quantity of new electric locomotives without proper test- listen to the scientists' addresses at the major conferences,
ing of the pilot model. These locomotives were equipped with The above, of course, plays a positive role. But the main
light, high-speed motors of a new design, which certainly de- thing is to make a profound study of research activity directly
manded the most critical and comprehensive testing and re- on the spot: in Laboratories and at testing enterprises. After
working. all, sometimes a simple talk with a scientist, what Is called a
As often happens, the rigors of the difficult technical search heart to heart talk, at his place of work makes you understand
d
nces
h
f
hi
th
.
occurre
ere
y con
c
the situation far better than leng
had an unexpected and simple denouement, w
. literally a few days after the session of the Party committee. How often do Party officials attend, say, experiments with
? And these re
i
-
d
t
l
t
a very s
s
oo
new machines, aggregates or machine
Someone among the workers in the shop expresse
pie idea. The designers and researchers of the institute clari- the times when the good and bad aspects of sometimes long
fied the proposal, made some calculations, tested them on the searches are revealed. It then becomes especially clear
and it worked. The first corrected else- where attention should be focused to improve the organization
motor's commutator
,
tric locomotives were sent to the railroads for testing, although of scientific work andwhre the Party committee's help is needed.
need further improvement. Of
uires time and additional efforts. But
hole of course
e this re
t
rs as
r
th
,
q
a w
e mo
o
cou
s
,, What did the Party committee achieve by its decision? V. P. only in the first phase. Subsequently, a profound knowledge of
Yanov, the chief designer of the institute, submitted a statement the situation and of the essence of the matter will greatly'I
of resignation, citing his poor health. Nor could the Party com- ,,facilitate the Party committees' tasks.
mittee's decision serve as an inspiration to Yu. V. Romanov, Finally, it is very important constantly to raise the level of ?
the chief technologist of the plant, or A. L. Kuroclika, the assis- ideological and educational work among scientists. We a e
tart director for the scientific section of the institute. talking about further improvements in the forms of Marxist-
committee have not grasped the fact that such methods for
guiding science are condemned by the Party. You cannot influ-
ence the development of science and technology with shouting
and fist waving.
This does not mean that scientific organizations and their
workers should be above criticism. As in any sphere of ac-
tivity, high exactingness is. in place here, as well as strict
Party control and direct and blunt criticism of shortcomings.
After all, there still are workers in science whose actions do seriously turn toward science, as is demanded by the decisions
not justify their high calling, and there are scientific institutions of the 23rd Party Congress.
t
l
one
a
that fulfill their tasks poorly. But before criticizing, le
issuing reprimands, you must make a most thorough study of
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content of ideological and theoretical studies be more closely
linked with the specific features of this or that branch of scl-
development. Therein lies the complexity but also the promise
of ideological and theoretical education.
It is the general opinion of the workers of science and the
leaders of Party organizations that the Party committees must