CODEL PELL: PELL/SARBANES MEETING WITH DEPUTY MINISTER OF HIGHER AND SPECIALIZED EDUCATION NIKOLAI SOFINSKY IN MOSCOW

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP07-00581R000201490005-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 14, 2012
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: August 31, 1983
• Content Type: CABLE

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/14: CIA-RDP07-00581 R000201490005-2
STAT
STAT
UNCLASSIFIED'
PAGE 001
TOR: 310122Z AUG 83
RR RUEAIIB
ZNR UUUUU ZOC STATE ZZH
STU3541
RR RUEHC
DE RUEHMO #0819/01 2371632
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 251631Z AUG 83
FM AMEMBASSY MOSCOW
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0088
INFO RUFHLG/AMCONSUL LENINGRAD 3537
RUEHIA/USIA WASHDC 4964
BT
UNCLAS MOSCOW 10819
E.O. 12356: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, OREP, SCUL, UR
SUBJECT: CODEL PELL:. PELL/SARBANES-, MEETING WITH DEPUTY
MINISTER OF HIGHER AND SPECIALIZED EDUCATION
NIKOLAI SOFINSKY IN MOSCOW
1. WITH A MODEST "WHAT CAN I OFFER YOU, NOW THAT YOU
HAVE SPOKEN TO ANDROPOV"NIKOLAI SOFINSKY, DEPUTY MINISTER
OF HIGHER AND SPECIALIZED SECONDARY EDUCATION GREETED
TO HIS OFFICE SENATOR AND MRS. CLAIBORNE PELL, SENATOR
AND MRS. PAUL SARBANES, PATRICK GRIFFIN, SENATE MINORITY
SECRETARY, AND DR. JAMES BILLINGTON OF THE CODEL STAFF.
FOR A GOOD DISCUSSION OF THE SOVIET EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM AS
IT PREPARES STUDENTS FOR THE UNIVERSITY AND FOR
SPECIALIZED SCHOOLS, ALSO OF ACADEMIC EXCHANGE PROGRAMS
BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE USSR. THERE WAS GENERAL AGREE-
MENT ON THE DESIRABILITY OF A NEW BILATERAL US-USSR
EXCHANGE AGREEMENT, BUT SOME DIFFERENCE ON HOW IT SHOULD
BE IMPLEMENTED.
2. IN ANSWER TO QUESTIONS FROM SENATOR AND MRS.
SARBANES, MR. SOFINSKY OUTLINED THE SOVIET SYSTEM OF
SECONDARY EDUCATION,.. WHICH ALLOWS THE.STUDENT THREE
PATHS OF PASSAGE TO THE UNIVERSITY. HOWEVER, IN FACT
THE VAST MAJORITY OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS GRADUATE FROM
REGULAR HIGH SCHOOLS, WHILE ONLY A SMALL PERCENT OF
THE GRADUATES FROM THE SPECIAL OR TECHNICAL SCHOOLS
SUCCESSFULLY APPLY FOR FURTHER EDUCATION AT A UNIVERSITY.
SENATORS PELL AND SARBANES EXPRESSED INTEREST IN THE'
SYSTEM OF EARLY CONCENTRATION IN FOREIGN LANGUAGES
AND IN MATHEMATICS AND THE SCIENCES.
3. THE BULK OF THE DISCUSSION WAS TAKEN UP BY A
GIVE AND TAKE ON UNIVERSITY-LEVEL EXCHANGES, AS SOFINSKY
FIELDED QUESTIONS BY SENATORS PELL AND SARBANES AND
BY PROF. BILLINGTON. REFERRING TO THE FACT THAT THE
EXCHANGE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND THE SOVIET
UNION HAD LAPSED IN 1979, SOFINSKY SAID THAT SINCE
THEN, THOUGH ALL PROGRAMS WERE STILL IN EFFECT, FEWER
PERSONS ARE BEING EXCHANGED. IN THE YOUNG SCHOLARS
CATEGORY, HE CONTINUED, THOUGH THE SOVIET SIDE HAD
HOPED THAT THE EXCHANGE WOULD AGAIN TREND TOWARD 40,
THE US HAD AGREED TO ACCEPT ONLY ABOUT 25. SOFINSKY
UNCLASSIFIED
OLL/LD
INCOMING
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/14: CIA-RDP07-00581 R000201490005-2
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PRAISED THE LANGUAGE TEACHERS EXCHANGE OF 30 IN EACH
DIRECTION AND SAID THAT HIS MINISTRY IS LOOKING FORWARD
TO THE COMPLETION OF THE JOINTLY PRODUCED TEXTBOOK
ON THE STUDY OF RUSSIAN AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE ON
WHICH PROFESSOR DAN DAVIDSON OF BRYN MAWR IS WORKING.
TWO SOVIET STUDENTS STUDIED AT THE UNITED WORLD
COLLEGE OF THE AMERICAN WEST (FOUNDED BY ARMAND HAMMER)
THIS PAST ACADEMIC YEAR. THERE IS ALSO THE FULBRIGHT
PROGRAM (ON WHICH SOFINSKY OFFERED NO DETAILS). AMONG
OTHER EXCHANGE PROGRAMS, SOFINSKY STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE
OF DIRECT UNIVERSITY-TO-UNIVERSITY EXCHANGES,. ALSO THE
NEED TO EXPAND THESE-TO INCLUDE OTHER UNIVERSITIESTHAN
MOSCOW STATE. MSU. HE STRESSED. WAS THE UNIVERSITY OF
CHOICE FOR ALL FOREIGN UNIVERSITIES WISHING AN EXCHANGE
WITH, THE SOVIET UNION BUT'CANNOT HANDLE THE DEMAND.
THERE ARE SOMETIMES PROBLEMS CAUSED BY UNEQUAL
PARTNERSHIPS. FOR EXAMPLE. THE LOWELL UNIVERSITY EXCHANGE
WITH TBILISI U. SEEMS TO BE FLOUNDERING BECAUSE OF A
LACK OF FUNDS AT LOWELL. THE SUNY EXCHANGE WITH MSU
CONTINUES TO PROSPER.
4. SENATOR SARBANES ASKED WHAT DISCIPLINES WERE STRESSED
IN THE EXCHANGES. IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. SOFINSKY SAID THAT
EACH SIDE SENT EXCHANGEES ACCORDING TO ITS OWN INTEREST.
THUS, THE US SCHOLARS ARE MOSTLY IN THE FIELDS OF
LANGUAGE, LITERATURE. HISTORY AND ECONOMICS, WHILE THE
SOVIETS ARE MOSTLY IN THE TECHNICAL AND NATURAL SCIENCES.
IN JUSTIFICATION FOR THE SOVIET DECISION, SOFINSKY
REASONED THAT SOVIET STUDENTS COULD STUDY ALL ASPECTS
OF US SOCIETY IN THE LENIN LIBRARY. "SO WE SEND MOSTLY
STUDENTS IN THE SCIENCES.
5. AT THIS POINT SENATOR SARBANES ASKED PROFESSOR
BILLINGTON FOR HIS VIEWS, AND BILLINGTON RECALLED HIS
DISCUSSIONS WITH THE LATE RECTOR OF MSU, REM KHOKHLOV,
AN EARLY FULBRIGHT GRANTEE IN THE USA, WHO WAS SO
IMPRESSED BY THE PROGRAM THAT HE WORKED HARD TO
INCREASE THE NUMBER OF SOVIET UNIVERSITIES WHICH WOULD
BE WILLING TO ACCEPT US FULBRIGHT TEACHERS. AS FOR
MR. SOFINSKY'S REMARKS ON SOVIET STUDENTS STUDYING THE
UNITED STATES. PROF. BILLINGTONEXPRESSED THE WISH
THAT THEY WOULD HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY ALSO TO USE US
LIBRARIES. IN ADDITION TO THE LENIN LIBRARY. TO PROF.
BILLINGTON'S REMARKS, SOFINSKY MERELY REPEATED THAT
IT IS THE SOVIET POSITION THAT EACH SIDE SHOULD SEND
E.O.?12356: N/A
TAGS: PGOV, OREP, SCUL. UR
SUBJECT: CODEL PELL: PELL/SARBANES MEETING WITH DEPUTY
THE STUDENTS IT WISHES; THE LENIN LIBRARY HAD ALSO
THE NECESSARY MATERIALS FOR THE STUDY OF THE. UNITED
STATES.
TO THINK OF THE FULBRIGHT PROGRAM AS OFFERING MORE
THAN THE STANDARD GRANTS. FOR EXAMPLE, FULBRIGHT MONEY
COULD BE USED TO FINANCE AN EXCHANGE OF SECONDARY
SCHOOL TEACHERS.
ZIMMERMANN
END OF MESSAGE
UNCLASSIFIED
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/03/14: CIA-RDP07-00581 R000201490005-2