THE PERILS OF FOREIGN TRAVEL

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 49, 27 February 1937, Page 26

THE PERILS OF FOREIGN TRAVEL

The sad story of two famous Russian scientists who were allowed to travel abroad and who stayed abroad to accept positions.with capitalist firms was told in a dramatic way at a session of the Academy of Sciences in Moscow, says the "Manchester Guardian." One of ■ the scientists, V. N.'lpatieff, travelled to the United States,, and is now employed by an oil company there. His colleague, A.. E. Chichibabin, finished his foreign.trip by accepting a position in Paris. Before the academy Ipatieff was. denounced by his son; Chichibabin escaped. this, because he has ho near relatives in the Soviet Union to do the denouncing. Ipatieffs son said that he felt his father had violated "labour discipline' by remaining in a capitalist job. "Comrades," he added, "Vladimir Nikolayevich Ipatieff is my father. Formerly I was proud to. bear his name; I tried to follow his method of work and his approach to science. . But now I have to hang my head low.. I avoid giving my name whenever possible." The son went on to say. that his father had written to tellhim that-the.

foreign capitalist concern had bound him to a contract which he felt could not be broken. The father also mentioned that the concern (though foreign and capitalist) had given him very favourable conditions. But, said the son, the Soviet Government would have given air this and more. He ended his denunciation by saying: "Such great scientists as Ipatieff and Chichibabin are, in my view, unworthy to be members of the Academy of Sciences; they are unworthy to be Soviet citizens, particularly when our country is going through such important events. Every citizen of the Soviet Union must do his bit."

There have been in Russia many such cases of family dispute over the old' and new ideologies, biit never before among academicians. The case is made all the more interesting because a special post had been created for Ipatieff (the father) as head of the "High Pressures Institute." He had been granted special subsidies for his work, which had been received with great public acclamation. Now the head of the "High Pressures Institute" is Ipatieff, the son.