PURSUE-RELEASE-03 Serial bdb18474-64c2-40df-8ab1-134b9bbce445

[page 1]
Approved for Release 2026

دوست

DIRECTORATE OF
INTELLIGENCE

# Intelligence Information Report

This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title 15, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to on unauthorized person is prohibited by law.

CONFIDENTIAL

COUNTRY USSR

- SUBJECT Speculative Paper by N Kardashev and
A Sakharov on Charged Mass in Space
at Conference on Origins of Life,
Armenia, 6-8 September 1971/Low
Scientific Level of Other Soviet
Papers

| REPORT NO.   | 00-B-321/07709-72.   |
|-|-|
| DATE DISTR.  | 10 Apr 72            |
| NO. PAGES    | 2                    |
| REFERENCES   | DCS Case 57,026      |

DATE OF INFO. 6-8 September 1971

PLACE & DATE ACQ. BY SOURCE Yerevan/6-8 September 1971

# Intelligence Information Report (cont.)

## THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION

SOURCE US citizen This report consists of edited abstracts from a letter received from a reliable colleague who attended the Yerevan Conference.

	1. At the Conference on the Origins of Life in Yerevan, Armenia, SSR, 6-8 September 1971, N S Kardashev, Institute for Space Research, Moscow, read an interesting but highly speculative paper he had prepared on general relativity and the possibility of a body collapsing into a black hole in space. His co-author was the internationally famous theoretical physicist, Andrei D Sakharov. Kardashev is very much like his superior and former teacher at the Institute, I S Shklovskiy, in his approach to scientific problems. He is not afraid to speculate in his effort to find a solution.

# Intelligence Information Report (cont.)

## THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION (cont.)

4. The US attendee considers Kardashev to be very competent technically and further to be very self-possessed. He recalled an incident in the spring of 1971 when Kardashev, L I Matveyenko and he visited Academician Lev Artsimovich, secretary of the Academy's Department of General Physics and Astronomy. Matveyenko, Institute for Cosmic Research, is a Communist Party member and very expert in political matters. He was almost cringing in Artsimovich's presence whereas Kardashev was cool and confident in his business-like discussions with the senior Academi- cian.

# Intelligence Information Report (cont.)

## THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION (cont.)

5. In general, the scientific level of most of the Soviet papers at this Conference was not very high. One little known Soviet [source could not recall his name) gave a very naive paper on the detectability of planets. Another Soviet, who was a member of a committee the USSR has established to investigate unusual phenomena, in other words, flying saucers, gave a serious talk which was actually very humorous. His approach was, "Well, of course, we know there isn't anything to this alleged phenome- non (flying saucers), but on the other hand---." During this talk Shklovskiy and other Soviets joked and laughed and obviously did not take the speaker's remarks seriously. Shklovskiy remarked later to a US attendee that the "flying saucer committee" consists of many poli- ticians, theorists, historians and similar type people. It has little if any scientific talent.

# Intelligence Information Report (cont.)

## THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION (cont.)

6. Shklovskiy gave a general, entertaining talk on some interesting but unimportant subject. Vitaliy L Ginzburg, one of the leading astronomers in the USSR, also gave a talk on the basis of physical theory, that is, the identification and comparison of fundamental assumptions in physics. Ginzburg has a first rate mind and is sounder in his physics knowledge than Shklovskiy. Ginzburg thinks realistically, which was shown in hi answer to a US attendee's question about the Conference. The Soviet was asked whether the Conference was worthwhile in that it as mostly devoted to theoretical subjects, very remote from tangible goals. Ginzburg said, "Well, if it helps to build up support for the Soviet researchers to get new astronomical equipment, then certainly the Con- ference makes sense." "

- end-