APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110012-0
Science
A. General (S)
Czechoslovakia occupies a leading position in scientific accomplishments among the East European Communist countries. The Czechoslovaks are capable of doing good scientific research, although the total volume is probably less than 10% of that done in the U.S.S.R. Progress in scientific research and development has been favored by a strong scientific tradition, a high level of literacy, a good educational system that places emphasis on science and technology, and one of the highest standards of living among the East European countries. The Czechoslovak scientific tradition, extending back to the early part of the 17th century, is based on the work of such scientists as the German-born astronomer, Johann Kepler, and the Danish astronomer, Tycho Brache, who did much of their work in Prague during 1600-10; Jan Marek, discoverer of the dispersion of white light by a prism, who worked at Charles University in Prague around 1620; Jan Ev. Purkyne, an outstanding Prague physiologist, who studied physiological optics; and Gregor Mendel, Moraviani "Father of Genetics." More recently, Czechoslovakia has developed several outstanding scientists, including Jaroslav Heyrovsky, who received the Nobel prize in 1959 for his discovery and development of polarography.
Scientific progress, although basically strong, has been affected adversely by foreign interventions and by internal political factors. During the period of German occupation prior to and during World War II and in the chaotic period following that war, the Czechoslovak research program declined substantially because of casualties, defections, and purges. After the Communists seized power in 1948, emphasis was placed on the development of heavy industry and on supporting fields of engineering and applied research. With the gradual relaxation of orthodox Communist leadership during the early and mid-1960's. Czechoslovak scientists obtained increasing freedom in conducting research. Liberalization continued during the first half of 1968 under the leadership of Alexander Dubcek. This situation changed abruptly in August 1968 with the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the other Warsaw Pact countries. Since the invasion, the Soviets have forced Czechoslovakia to revert to a more repressive regime, including strict censorship, increased bureaucratic controls, restrictions on travel, and purges of liberal scientists. Because the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (CSAV) and many individual scientists and professors strongly supported the liberalization policy and freedom of expression and discussion in scientific publications, the academic and scientific communities have been targets of repressive measures.
There has been a far-reaching purge of scientific leadership since 1968. Approximately 50 of the 65 directors of institutes of the CSAV have been removed from positions of management, either by assignment to nonsupervisory positions or by complete separation from their institutes. Replacements have been selected primarily on the basis of political reliability rather than scientific and technical capabilities, and Communist Party members are appointed to all leading positions. The academic community has been affected also. Qualified faculty members have been discharged for political reasons, and revised political criteria have been used for accepting students for university study. Under a new law, officers of the Academies of Sciences are appointed by the political authorities rather than being elected by the members. Also, appointments of academicians have been reduced from lifetime to 4 years. Presumably reappointment will depend on willingness to follow party lines.
Scientists and students of science frequently complain because, although some are permitted to continue their research, they cannot travel and are restricted from gaining access to many outside books and periodicals. Also they are unable to get technical and scientific information from the United States because they have no funds to renew subscriptions to leading journals. Instead, they are required to use the Soviet-operated scientific literature dissemination services that provide foreign papers and abstracts. Generally, the Soviet documentation services provide untranslated English articles, and translation of these involves lengthy periods of time. Representatives of
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2009/06/16: CIA-RDP01-00707R000200110012-0
