Efforts to Aid Russia's Scholars Are More Than a Humanitarian Gesture

that the former Soviet Academy of Sciences, which recently trans­ferred its assets to the newly formed Russian Academy of Sci­ences. supported many institutes that did first-rate work. But he adds, "some institutes were sup­ported by the academy structure simply because they were political­ly correct. They were of no value scientifically."

"Divining which is which is go­ing to be difficult" for foundations and societies looking to funnel re­sources to specific institutions, Mr. Lerch says. "The former Sovi­et Union as a whole is a sinkhole."

Mr. Stone says his plan to pro­vide modest subcontracts to Rus­sian research institutes could avoid that problem, since institutes that do not return work of the highest quality would not be given addi­tional support.

'Someone Specific'

“Let's put this on a capitalist ba­sis," he says. "Let the American scientists figure out who's who."

Joseph McGhee, director of ex­changes at the U.S. State Depart­ment's Office of Independent States and Commonwealth Af­fairs—until recently called the Of­fice of Soviet Union Affairs—says that because funds can.be easily entangled or lost within the Rus­sian bureaucracy, groups sending money to help scholars there should "have someone specific in mind."

Donations of equipment, he adds. can run into additional prob­lems with customs regulations in Russia, U.S. export-control regu­lations. and other legal impedi­ments.

"Unless there's a competent consignee on the other end. God knows where it's going to end up," he says.

Loren R. Graham, a professor of the history of science at the Massa­chusetts Institute of Technology. says that because the "organiza­tion of Russian science and culture is presently in turmoil, direct assis­tance to major institutions should probably be avoided."

"We easily could support the wrong organizations in the power struggles going on." he adds.

Mr. Graham and others are also concerned that a Russian tax of as much as 60 per cent on foreign do­nations of funds and equipment and an official exchange rate that can significantly reduce the value of financial contributions could in­hibit support from U.S. founda­tions and other non-profit organizations.