Documents / FOIA release
This is a Central Intelligence Agency record dated 26 April 1990. It carries a TASS International Service account, sent from Sverdlovsk in several parts, of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev's visit to the Urals. The text covers his meeting with Uralmash workers and managers about economic reform, housing, market transition, unemployment and party unity. It also describes his visits to a supermarket, war veterans, a defense conversion exhibition and the Urals Scientific Center. It contains no UFO material.
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took place at the Institute of Metals Physics of the Urals Scientific Center. Leading representatives of virtually all branches of science had assembled here for the meeting with the USSR president. Opening the meeting, G.A. Mesyats, chairman of the Presidium of the Urals Scientific Center and vice-president of the USSR Academy of Sciences, dwelt in detail on the main activities of the Urals branch of the Academy, which now unites 38 scientific institutions, special design bureaux for scientific instrument making, and a number of engineering centers. The majority of those who took part in the exchange of views drew attention to problems of the development of fundamental science, having noted the need to raise its prestige, renew the material base, and strengthen higher educational establishments. In particular, it was pointed out that the interests of the development of fundamental science and the results of the introduction of market principles in the economy are now entering into a contradiction. A firm legislative base, which removes this tendency, is necessary, the speakers believe. It was said also that the scientists' limited opportunities for developing international contacts is one of the factors restraining progress in science and research. 133 Addressing the meeting, M.S. Gorbachev said in particular: I profess the following point of view. In politics there would be fewer mistakes, policy well-grounded, real, and effective, if it rested on scientific knowledge. A scientific prediction of our advance is especially topical in the Urals, in a region which plays an immense role in the development of the productive forces of the entire country. The Urals have taken on too many of the country's worries during the years that were difficult for it, for us to continue exploiting it today without thinking of anything apart from increasing capacities and labor resources. 134 In this hall I have heard much that is useful and interesting, M.S. Gorbachev stressed. Now, according to him, is precisely the moment for everyone together to think soundly about things, including the question of how it came to pass that such a Oblast, has found itself with such old capital stock. 135 Responding to the addresses by the scientists, M.S. Gorbachev noted that he shares their concern over the state and fate of fundamental science in the Soviet Union. 136 The president replied to questions by participants in the meeting concerning both problems of scientific and technical progress and the realities of today's socio-political situation in the country. 137 In the evening a meeting between representatives of the working people of Sverdlovsk oblast, party, war and labor veterans and M.S. Gorbachev took place in the Youth Palace. 138 The participants in the meeting were addressed by M.S. Gorbachev. The address will be published in the press. (endall) 261222 27/1307z apr 139 LD2704123290TAKE12
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FOIA release, from the cia-readingroom collection. The PDF is mirrored here; the original link is above. The text was read from the page images by GLM-OCR; expect the odd misread word. 15 pages are in the text index: search them above, or from the library's search.