SCIENCE'S OPEN SECRET

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00806R000200730008-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: June 22, 2010
• Sequence Number: 8
• Publication Date: October 6, 1982
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/22 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000200730008-1
ARTICLE APPEARED it YORK TIMES
ON PAGE 4.2 6
6 October 1982
Science's Open Secret
The
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quest
o
knowledge is necessarily an open tific in
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ho
ld
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ry s
u
remain open except in cases di-
process, and national security requires secrecy. rectly involving military secrets; the costs - to
Hence an inevitable tension between scientists and scientific and technical advance - of even a small
security officials. But that tension has recently step toward censorship would be too high. Specifical-
turned into frankehostility. In the latest of several ly, it warned against extending the Export Adminis-
imbroglios, the organizers of a laser-optics confer- tration Regulations to university research, as se-
ence last month were compelled by guardians of curity officials have tried to do.
military secrets to withdraw a quarter of the papers But the committee notes the view of Adm.
they planned to hear. s. Bobby Inman, former Deputy Director of Central In-
Now the National Academy of Sciences has re- telligence, that university research may become a
sponsibly addressed the problem. Although it essen- more serious target of Soviet interest as other tech-
tially supports the scientists' sidoof the argument, it nology leaks are cut off. The intensity of the Soviet
should heap heal the breach. collection effort is not fully recognized by scholars;
an army- of 100,000 sleuths, says the Academy, is
translating and disseminating American data pub.
When the Soviet physicist L.I: Rudakov toured lished by the Commerce Department
the United States a few years ago giving lectures on Whether such research is easily turned into
fusion energy research, American security officials military advantages is open to question. Soviet
followed him with warnings that his remarks were weapons designers are so conservative and com-
classified as secret. Such zealotry occurs, and the partmentalized that they are slow to adopt innova-
dangers should be obvious. But misjudgments in the lions. Security controls can never do more than slow
opposite directien are harder to prove. Much mill- the rate at which American information is lost, and
tarily valuable to cal information does pass from the Soviet Union's internal arrangements may be
West to East. The, essential question is how much of the best available protection.
this leakage results from open communication What needs above all to be recognized is that
among scientists. America's preeminence in military technology has
The Academy committee, which had ahcess to much to do with its preeminence in civilian re-
secrets, examined the known cases of leakage and search. And that depends mightily on the ability of
reports being shown "no documented examples that American scientists to communicate among them-
were the direct result of open scientific communica- selves and with scientists abroad. The vitality of
tion." Even if some leakage did so occur, it seems American science and technology is the practical as
minuscule compared with the losses attributable to well as philosophical priority. It requires a maxi-
Soviet spying or legal purchases of equipment. mum of communication, for which the occasional
The committee is right to conclude that scien- .leak is a small price to pay.
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/06/22 : CIA-RDP90-00806R000200730008-1