CONTAINING RUSSIA’S NUCLEAR FIREBIRDS
Harmony and Change at the International Science and Technology Center
Glenn E. Schweitzer
The University of Georgia Press Athens and London
© 2013 by the University of Georgia Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Schweitzer, Glenn E., 1930–
Containing Russia’s nuclear firebirds : harmony and change at the International Science and Technology Center / Glenn E. Schweitzer. p. cm. — (Studies in security and international affairs)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn-13: 978-0-8203-3869-9 (hardback)
isbn-10: 0-8203-3869-9 (hardcover)
isbn-13: 978-0-8203-4434-8 (paperback)
1. Nuclear nonproliferation—International cooperation.
2. Nuclear nonproliferation—Former Soviet republics.
3. International Science and Technology Center. I. Title.
jz5675.s42 2013
327.1 7470947—dc23 2012022222
British Library Cataloging-in-Publication Data available
ISBNfordigitaledition:978-0-8203-4471-3
CONTENTS
Preface ix
Significant Events in the History of the ISTC xv
one. A Unique Experiment for Security and Prosperity 1
two. Off to a Fast Start (1994–2000) 18
three. An Era of Euphoria (2001–2006) 35
four. Unraveling of the Moscow Science Center (2007–2011) 56
five. The World Market for High-Tech Expertise 85
six. The Long Road to a Silicon Valley in Russia 104
seven. U.S.-Russia Bilateral Engagement Programs 126
eight. The Nuclear File 153
nine. The Biosecurity File 170
ten. The Aerospace File 184
eleven. Measuring Success 199
twelve. Replicating istc Experiences While Avoiding Pitfalls 219
thirteen. The Way Forward 235
Epilogue 249
Appendix A. Agreement Establishing an International Science and Technology Center 251
Appendix B. Protocol on the Provisional Application of the Agreement Establishing an International Science and Technology Center 260
Appendix C. President Dmitry Medvedev’s Decree No. 534, August 11, 2010 262
Appendix D. Diplomatic Note on Russian Withdrawal from the ISTC Agreement and Protocol 263
Appendix E. istc Project Funding and Beneficiary Scientists, 1994–2011 264
Notes 271
Index 285
PREFACE
Every night there came flying into the garden a bird that shone like the moon, with feathers like gold and its eyes like crystal which perched on the apple tree, plucked a golden apple, and flew away.
—“Tsarevitch Ivan, the Firebird, and the Gray Wolf”
“The Russian Government informs you of its intention to terminate the provisional application of the agreement on the International Science and Technology Center and withdraw from the associated protocol.”
So read part of a diplomatic note addressed to the executive director of the International Science and Technology Center (istc) announcing Russia’s withdrawal from the center. A Russian colleague forwarded the note to me in midJuly 2011. I had spent twenty-seven months in Moscow in the early 1990s leading the on-the-ground effort of the governments of the United States, the then European Economic Community, Japan, and Russia to establish a center that would help curtail a brain drain of Russian weapons expertise. Thus, I had some difficulty witnessing the demise of the institution we had created from scratch—an institution that would help save the world from a nuclear catastrophe, so we thought.
In 1994 I became the first executive director of the istc and took pride in the early stage of its development. Now the sixth executive director has the less glamorous, but equally important, task of dismantling the headquarters in central Moscow and arranging for the exodus of the Russian government from the organization. The center’s activities will continue in other member states that emerged after the splintering of the Soviet Union. But the istc will never be the same without participation of the country that has been the primary focus of attention throughout the center’s history.
The news came as no surprise. One year earlier, President Dimitry Medvedev had signed a decree announcing Russia’s intention to withdraw, but it did not specify the withdrawal date. Several years earlier during my trips to
Moscow, I had heard rumblings about such a forthcoming development. Russian officials contended that the istc had accomplished its mission and the country no longer needed “foreign assistance programs” that penetrated the country’s national security establishment. The center had devoted about one billion dollars to support redirection of underemployed weapon scientists to civilian tasks in Russia during difficult economic days; but Russia had recovered, and the period of redirection was over, they underscored.
Nevertheless, I could not help but think that Russia’s withdrawal from the istc would reawaken dormant concerns in Washington and other capitals over potential leakage to irresponsible governments and hostile groups of Russia’s nuclear secrets and of the insights of its scientists concerning the fabric of other closely guarded technological achievements. Surely, Russia’s departure would disappoint thousands of Russian scientists who longed for a continuing association with the center. Also, Russia’s separation from the international scientific networks that the istc had established would have a negative impact on the nation’s science capabilities that were just beginning to rebound after decades of isolation and stagnation.
Russia’s withdrawal will signal the end of the first phase of an amazing experiment. This international effort has helped avoid a massive brain drain of nuclear scientists, chemists, aerospace engineers, and biotechnology pioneers while increasing the difficulty of illicit access by desperate individuals and foreign agents to bomb-making expertise and materials that abound in the world’s largest country. Let us hope that a second equally promising experiment with similar goals will soon begin.
ECHOING A RUSSIAN LEGEND
When I received the copy of the formal notification of Russia’s forthcoming withdrawal, I was reminded of a popular Russian legend, The Firebird. As the story goes, a clever firebird escapes its cage and in the dark of night slips into the grounds of a wealthy prince to steal precious golden apples. In a story rife with intrigue, mistaken identities, and a touch of magic, the firebird is ultimately returned to its cage, and the thefts of valuable treasures come to an end.
After seventeen years of witnessing istc projects in action, I am convinced that we have held at bay many potential nuclear firebirds nesting throughout Russia that could collect and sell weapons expertise in the dark of night. We surrounded Russian scientists not with cages but with incentives—money, re-
spect, and new opportunities in their laboratories. In exchange, they focused on scientific and economic advancement of their country.
Thus, the rewards that these cash-strapped scientists received from participating in the new program trumped temptations to trade secrets for cash with unsavory characters. The scientists had new opportunities to enjoy success in the laboratory that benefited the people, while supplementing their own declining paychecks.
A UNIQUE SOLUTION EMERGES
My earlier book, Moscow DMZ: The Story of the International Effort to Convert Russian Weapons Science to Peaceful Purposes (M. E. Sharpe, 1996), discusses in detail the events leading up to the establishment of the istc. It describes the legal and technical foundations for launching the unique institution in 1994. And it sets the scene for reviewing operations of the center.
This new book assesses the most important activities of the istc from that time forward. By 2011 the center had become the mechanism for facilitating foreign investments of more than $1.3 billion in activities involving scientists of seven new independent states. The center had supported more than 2,740 projects. Nearly one hundred thousand scientists from these seven new states and from the istc’s other member countries participated in these projects and related activities. A large percentage of participants have been former weapons scientists living in Russia. Substantial political will and personal commitments have characterized the collaborative efforts of the thirty-nine governments that have become part of the istc family—including the twenty-seven member governments of the European Union and the governments of Russia, the United States, Japan, Norway, Canada, Korea, Georgia, Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan.
How good an investment in Russia has this been? What lessons might be applied to future challenges in Russia and in other countries in the future? These questions are the central issues addressed in this book.
DOCUMENTING OUTCOMES
After finishing my tenure as the istc executive director in 1994, I avoided second-guessing the policies or operational activities of the center. At the same time, however, I maintained an interest in the outcomes of the center’s pro-
grams that were often reflected in reports from Moscow that found their way to my desk in Washington. I occasionally visited the headquarters of the istc during my travel to Russia, as I became involved in many nonproliferation and scientific exchange projects related to the activities of the center. In short, I became an interested but not a meddling observer.
In the summer of 2010 when I initially heard the news about the winding down of the center’s activities in Russia, I decided to document the history of the istc, lest the lessons learned simply be buried in long-term storage bins. I traveled to Moscow not only to review past achievements of the center but also to discuss the impending Russian withdrawal that would close the doors on all activities based in Russia, including operations of the istc Secretariat in Moscow. At the same time, the istc parties were discussing new diplomatic arrangements to continue support of the center’s programs in the six other states in the region that had been accorded membership in the istc.
During this visit, a number of Russian and international specialists who had been deeply involved with the istc for many years were eager to discuss its record. Each had a somewhat different view of the basis for the Russian decision for withdrawal. At the same time, all my Russian colleagues, even those who had not been involved in projects financed through the istc, were complimentary of the center’s accomplishments. A recurring theme was that the center gave highly talented Russian scientists a second chance in the laboratories. This opportunity was particularly important for those scientists who were ready to abandon their research careers for more profitable business endeavors, including deal making involving the international diffusion of dual-use technologies.
Many scientists were heralding istc’s accomplishments in the scientific realm as a justification for continuing the activities of the center in Russia. They claimed that only minor modifications of the existing international agreement were necessary for continuation in a manner that would satisfy concerns of the Russian government. But the istc’s primary mission from the outset was to reduce the likelihood of weapons proliferation and only secondarily to contribute to international efforts that address global issues such as energy, environmental, and health problems. It simply was too much of a stretch from the original intent and from the specific provisions of the istc Agreement to persuasively advocate scientific achievements as the primary reason to sustain the center’s operations.
This book expands on the debate on this subject. But the bottom line is that the istc will close its doors in Russia in 2015. By capturing details of events up to the final years of the Moscow science center—making the book a matching bookend to Moscow DMZ—I present facts, analyses, and conclusions that should be useful for the international community in containing future firebirds, whether they be in the form of nuclear darts or other worldwide threats.
INSIGHTFUL INPUTS FROM COLLEAGUES
The istc has been a successful and effective venture. Of course there have been missed opportunities, questionable policies, and many bumps in the road. These shortcomings are noted throughout the book.
Most important, the objective of the center has often been misinterpreted as “prevention” of proliferation. Preventing proliferation involves establishing regulations, enforcing security requirements, and policing the activities of individuals with access to classified information. Such activities have not been part of the center’s mandate, which has been directed to reducing incentives for scientists to engage in illicit activities. Only the concerned government, and with regard to this book the Russian government, has the capability to focus on the entire range of factors that impinge on prevention of proliferation. Despite the limited mandate of the center, the consensus of both insiders and observers is that the istc experiment has returned good value for the investment. It has significantly reduced the likelihood of proliferation by redirecting underemployed weapon scientists to civilian tasks.
I am fortunate in having an opportunity to tell a portion of the story of this success. I am profoundly grateful to colleagues from many countries who have shared with me their perspectives as to the accomplishments of the istc and why they have been proud to have contributed to its activities. They can rightly claim personal ownership of achievements of the center in reducing the threat of proliferation of dangerous weapons expertise during a time of chaos and recovery in the region—the period from 1992 to 2011. They are the ones who have made this book possible.
I owe a special debt of appreciation to the members of the istc staff who were in place during 2010 and 2011, and particularly to Executive Director Adriaan van der Meer. They were helpful to me in many ways as I pieced together this manuscript. They unhesitatingly responded to my requests for doc-
uments and for their personal views concerning the activities of the center since its earliest days. Also, they directed me to other knowledgeable specialists, both to obtain additional views and to continue my fact-checking of the information that has been incorporated into this text.
When the University of Georgia Press agreed to publish the book, I knew I had an important partner in this undertaking. For many years, specialists at the university have followed closely the developments in the new independent states. In recent years, they have extended their interests in nonproliferation to other continents. Their insights have improved a manuscript that covers a wide range of topics. And Jane Curran added a skilled copy editor’s polish to the manuscript.
In response to my request, my daughter Diane Leigh Schweitzer took time off from her successful career as a business consultant to point out inconsistencies, confusion, and redundancy in the original manuscript. She sharpened the focus of each chapter. She forced me to be straightforward in my personal views on the courses followed by the center over the years. “No time for weasel words,” she argued.
Finally, as has been the case with my previous books, my wife, Carole Dorsch Schweitzer, continued to devote her energy and extend her patience to a spouse totally consumed with book writing for more than a year. Again, she used the magic pencil of a professional substantive editor to help transform a muddled draft manuscript into a readable document. Having shared many of my personal experiences involving Russia, she greatly improved the bottom lines that permeate the entire book.
Wintergreen, Virginia, January 2012
SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THE HISTORY OF THE ISTC
• January: Tripartite statement by Andrei Kozyrev (Russia), Hans-Dietrich Genscher (Germany), and James Baker (United States) calling for establishment of istc; initiation of negotiation of istc Agreement.
• July: Arrival of international planning group for istc at facilities on Luganskaya Street, Moscow.
• November: Initialing of istc Agreement by United States, Russia, European Atomic Energy Community / European Economic Community, and Japan.
• January: Establishment of Preparatory Committee for istc.
• December: Acceptance by four parties of Protocol on Provisional Application of istc Agreement.
• January: Completion of internal procedures by United States, Russia, European Atomic Energy Community / European Economic Community, and Japan for entry into force of protocol.
• March: Establishment of istc; first meeting of istc Governing Board; adoption of istc Statute; approval of initial research projects; announcement of initial budget commitments.
• Initiation of Travel Support Program and Seminar Program.
• Finland, Sweden, Georgia, Armenia, and Belarus become members of istc. (Finland and Sweden subsequently withdraw when they enter European Union, which then represents their interests.)
• Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan become members of istc.
• First of many projects with cern.
• First two-year review by Governing Board.
• Establishment of Partner Program.
• Review of istc programs by U.S. National Research Council.
• Establishment of Japanese Workshop Program, Technologies Data Base Program, Valorization Support Program, and Patent Support Program.
• Beginning of Business Management Training activities.
• istc branch offices in place in five member countries, eventually increasing to six.
• Norway becomes istc member.
• Second two-year review by Governing Board.
• Republic of Korea becomes istc member.
• y2k program with emphasis on nuclear safety.
• Establishment of EU, U.S., and Russian Workshop Programs and Communications Support Program.
• Major assessment of overall program (istc 2012).
• Third two-year review by Governing Board.
• Confirmation by Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that istc headquarters has status comparable to status of diplomatic missions.
• Support of U.S. government-initiated survey of 620 participants in istc projects concerning willingness to live in rogue countries.
• Award by President Putin to vniief (Sarov) of the First State Prize of Russia for achievements in investigating super-strong magnetic fields with istc support.
• Review of science centers by U.S. General Accountability Office.
• Survey of five hundred managers of istc projects concerning their commercialization activities.
• Governing Board establishes Complex Evaluation Program for Institutes.
• Initiation of structured istc program for commercialization.
• Beginning of decline in funding available for projects in Russia.
• Canada and Tajikistan become istc members.
• EU member states increase from fifteen to twenty-five (eventually to twenty-seven).
• Tenth anniversary celebration.
• Beginning of decline in resources available to support projects in Russia.
• Staff level peaks at 253 persons.
• Preparation of new version of Project Management Manual.
• g8 Global Partnership Program embraces istc activities.
• Announcement at g8 meeting by Russian representative of completion of process of redirection of Russian weapon scientists to civilian careers.
• Move of istc Secretariat to Krasnoproletarskaya Street, Moscow.
• Completion of evaluation of istc commissioned by European Commission.
• Merger of istc programs on commercialization and innovation.
• New Vision Statement for istc developed but not adopted due to Russian resistance.
• Rosatom, official Russian representative for istc matters, is reorganized with new emphasis on commercial activities concerning nuclear power.
• Signing of Memorandum of Cooperation with iaea (supplemented in 2009).
• First sustainability plans for selected institutes adopted.
• Fifteenth-anniversary celebration.
• Initiation of program on management of responsible science.
• istc Secretariat solicits views of Russian scientists on value of istc.
• Recognition of large contribution of science centers by g-8 working group on knowledge proliferation.
• Presidential decree announcing Russia’s intention to withdraw from istc.
• Interim report on new organization for multilateral scientific and technological cooperation adopted by Governing Board.
• Kazakhstan proposal to accept administrative responsibility for establishing and supporting new headquarters for istc in Almaty.
• Reactions of Russian scientists to announcement of Russia withdrawal from istc posted on Kremlin blog.
• Extensive istc staff reductions, leading to staff of 118 by end of year.
• Diplomatic note notifying istc Governing Board that Russia will withdraw from istc Agreement and associated protocol in 2015.
• Development of plans to address financial, archival, personnel, and program issues as activities in Moscow wind down.
• Review of impacts of nuclear and energy projects, as prototype for assessing istc’s contributions in selected areas of interest to the Governing Board.
• Initial secretariat contacts with leaderships of Skolkovo project and Rusnano.
• Initiative to transfer know-how developed in Russia with istc support to Japan in view of the Fukushima nuclear incident.
CHAPTER ONE
A Unique Experiment for Security and Prosperity
The objective of the International Science and Technology Center shall be to give weapons scientists and engineers opportunities to redirect talents to peaceful activities.
—International agreement for establishment of the International Science and Technology Center, 1992
The istc was among the organizations that were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
—Authoritative report circulating in Moscow, 2010
Economic chaos prevailed as the Soviet Union disintegrated into fifteen independent states in 1991. Once-secret research and development organizations throughout the new Russian Federation began to open their doors to foreign visitors, who indicated that they might finance advanced technology activities directed to peaceful purposes. Initially, the Russian government tried to orchestrate the efforts of a handful of well-controlled Russian institutions to attract foreign customers. But soon scores of other institutes and enterprises within the country joined the hunt for new revenue sources.
In short order, these institutions began exercising an increasing amount of autonomy from central control. Their representatives exhibited considerable flexibility in accommodating the interests of well-heeled “businessmen” from abroad. Economic hard times had engulfed the entire population, including scientists and engineers with weapons-related skills who suddenly had entered the ranks of the underemployed and often the unemployed. Many Russian institutions were in a desperate economic state and were reaching out in all directions for relief.
The corridors of government departments and the unbridled press in the United States and Europe were awash with stories about Russia’s potentially dangerous loss of control over its nuclear assets. In January 1992 the New York Times, for example, reported the following conditions in the ten formerly secret nuclear cities of Russia: “Their disintegration is now seen as threatening to send scientists and materials flying into foreign hands in a new kind of international peril. Foment is real. Russian nuclear experts have received job offers from Iraq and Libya. . . . Bomb-makers in the secret cities are trying to invent new ways of making money at home. Some of the initiatives would hinder atomic leakage. Others would encourage it.”
By the spring of 1992 such reports had triggered diplomatic efforts in Europe and the United States to prevent the possibility of a nuclear Armageddon. International negotiations were under way concerning practical steps to shore up Russia’s uncertain security systems and to dissuade nuclear scientists from looking abroad for sustenance from unsavory sources. In Washington and Brussels, government officials set aside tens of millions of dollars for multilateral and bilateral efforts to engage Russia’s high-tech scientists in peaceful endeavors.
In Moscow, high-level Western officials with nuclear credentials and security clearances became regular visitors under instructions from their governments to work with Russian counterparts in reining in scientists with special know-how about the design and development of weapons of mass destruction. Russian authorities were convinced that the country’s financial shortfalls would be temporary. Then the problem would be under control. In the meantime, they were searching for pots of money at home and abroad to enable the government to supplement the dwindling financial support being allocated to Russian scientists. At the same time, these officials were interested in increasing their own paychecks, which also were in jeopardy.
ESTABLISHMENT OF A NONPROLIFERATION CENTER IN MOSCOW
Amid this chaos, the U.S. Department of State recruited me during the spring of 1992 and then dispatched me to Russia in June to lead the on-the-ground activities of a new multilateral effort to help address the dangers of weapons scientists on the loose. We were to focus on underemployed nuclear, biological, chemical, and aerospace specialists who had skills that might be of interest to
rogue states and other dangerous opponents of the United States and its allies. The creation in Moscow of a nonproliferation institution—the International Science and Technology Center (istc)—was the goal.
A freshly negotiated nonproliferation agreement, developed by representatives of Russia, the United States, the European Economic Community /European Atomic Energy Community (hereinafter referred to as the European Community), and Japan, provided the basis for establishing the istc as soon as the four parties initialed and then signed the international agreement. For many months, U.S., German, and Russian officials had already played active roles, independently and collectively through a variety of diplomatic channels, in promoting new concepts that they developed for inclusion in the agreement. The European Community and the Japanese government had also joined the effort.
The principles embedded in the agreement were designed to reduce the likelihood of illicit flows of dangerous weapons expertise out of Russia and other new independent states that emerged on the territory of the former Soviet Union. Like millions of other citizens of these nations, the scientists possessing special knowledge about weapons were caught in the downward economic spirals of their countries. They needed financial supplements—and quickly.
The new institution would increase paltry paychecks by providing financial support for civilian-oriented projects. Impoverished weapons scientists in Russia and other interested states in the region could then afford to remain at their home institutions, but they would redirect their talents from military to peaceful endeavors. This program was designed to help them resist temptations to sell their services to high bidders of unknown reliability.
Initial financial commitments from Washington, Brussels, and Tokyo totaled $67 million for the first year of anticipated program activities to be carried out through the istc. The Western and Asian parties supporting this initiative promised to provide additional resources as the center’s activities expanded. Of particular importance, the projects would include funds for salary supplements for the participating scientists from the region, since paychecks were not only small but often delayed for six months or more. In Russia, when salary payments by the government did arrive, they usually reached only $150 to $200 per month for senior scientists and sometimes declined to as low as $25 per month, even for scientific leaders. The new international funds would also cover the costs of needed research equipment and supplies for laboratory experiments. As to the administrative costs of the istc, the participating governments committed to providing still other funds.
The parties that prepared the istc Agreement had selected me to be the first executive director of the center. I optimistically thought that the istc would become operational shortly after my arrival in Russia, and I would then deserve my new title. Within several months, additional specialists from Russia, the United States, Germany, and Japan joined me in Moscow as members of the planning group for the center. The parties soon transformed our group into the istc Preparatory Committee (Prep Com). This elevated status gave us confidence that the governments were making good progress in completing diplomatic formalities.
Our team’s first priority was to develop documentation clarifying the istc’s purpose, scope, operational procedures, financial operations, and ethical business practices. We were to help convince a wide range of political leaders in many countries that the new institution could become an important and responsible mechanism for preventing a major weapons brain drain to organizations with hostile intentions. We were particularly concerned about organizations lurking in the shadows beyond the borders of Russia.
To this end, an important task was to ensure that istc programs were configured in such a way that finances provided through the center helped in stabilizing important high-tech segments of the defense-oriented workforce of Russia. Of special importance was the development of widespread confidence within Russia and abroad that the istc approach was to be immune from corruption. This malady plagued efforts of many other international organizations in Moscow that were involved in fund transfers.
Also, we needed communication and outreach strategies to acquaint interested Russian scientists—who soon numbered many thousands—with the procedures for applying for support for redirection projects. They would have to shift their efforts from what had once been well-subsidized, mostly weaponsrelated research programs to new and less familiar civilian activities. There was to be a heavy emphasis on overcoming the difficulties of moving results of scientific research into commercial markets. We quickly recognized the need for a long educational process as to how a market economy works.
While the parties to the agreement concluded their diplomatic discussions, we turned our attention to practical implementation issues. Of course, the mechanism for dispersing money was of key interest to both the providers and the potential recipients of research funds. We placed at the top of our proposed action agenda the process for rapid disbursement of funds without loss of con-
trol as to how the funds were used. Only after the conclusion of this groundwork could the istc begin to move into fast forward.
A particular challenge for the Prep Com was to help persuade leaders of the Russian Supreme Soviet (the parliamentary body existing in 1992 and 1993 that was subsequently reconstituted as the Duma and the Federation Council) that the defection of Russian scientists onto the payrolls of a new wave of nuclear weapons states was a real possibility. These leaders saw little evidence of such a trend. Many were skeptical that foreign intervention in Russia through the istc was essential to protect Russia’s secrets.
At the same time, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was very aware of both the international concern over nuclear proliferation and the dire economic conditions throughout the country. With the support of the Ministry of Atomic Energy and the endorsement, or at least the acquiescence, of the other power ministries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommended to President Boris Yeltsin that the istc be promptly established. To this end, the interested ministries urged that he seek ratification of the agreement by the legislative branch of the government.
According to Russian legal experts, parliamentary ratification was needed since the agreement provided for exceptions to the Russian tax code, which was jealously guarded by both the Ministry of Finance and the legislative branch. Tax exemptions were to help guarantee that (a) the scientists, and not the tax inspectors, would be the principal recipients of the influx of foreign funds, and (b) international experts who joined the istc staff would not be subjected to harassment by the tax authorities. After several administrative delays, by the summer of 1993 President Yeltsin was in the process of obtaining ratification of the agreement by the Supreme Soviet.
However, some Russian parliamentarians were very suspicious about the overall approach. In their view, Western governments had designed the contours of the istc to suit their own needs, without adequate Russian input. The skeptics asked the following questions, for example: “Would the diplomatic status within Russia, which was to be conferred on foreign members of the istc staff, give them licenses to spy throughout the country, without fear of punishment if they were caught? Would the istc have special money exchange privileges, which could lead to large-scale currency operations beyond the reach of Russian financial authorities, including inspectors who were accustomed to sharing the proceeds from such transactions? Would Western partners have
unlimited rights to use intellectual property created in Russia? Would Western auditors have unbridled access to sensitive financial and personnel information within Russian files that Soviet authorities had closely guarded for decades?”
Also, despite warnings by Russian international security experts of potential proliferation problems linked to Russian institutions, the legislators did not seem overly concerned about agents of third-world nations or of terrorist organizations penetrating their country. They asked, “How could primitive scientific organizations in Middle East countries—organizations that were on the watch lists of all responsible governments—secretly design and construct weapons that could destroy large cities and eventually the world, with or without foreign advisers?” As to Western concerns that local undercover collaborators being paid by such countries might quietly knock on the closed doors that shielded Russian expertise, the skeptics in the legislature argued that the Soviet security system had been impenetrable in the past. They dismissed the dangers of temporary security lapses during the economic crisis that had spread throughout the country. In their view, Russian weapons scientists—including underemployed scientists—were simply too loyal to their motherland to sell secrets.
In parallel with my meetings in Moscow with both istc advocates and Supreme Soviet skeptics, a Russian colleague was collecting many troublesome documents circulating in Moscow. A particularly foreboding advertisement came from the Far East. The Sun Shine Industrial Company, an established Hong Kong trading company that thrived by serving customers who carried out off-the-books arms deals, was on the prowl for business in Russia, as well as in third-world states. The recruitment of Russian scientists had indeed become a serious concern. The advertisement read as follows: “We have detailed files of hundreds of former Soviet Union experts in the fields of rockets, missiles, and nuclear weapons. These weapons experts are willing to work in a country that needs their skills and can offer reasonable pay.”
One month later, a second incident further confirmed my view that the skeptical parliamentarians were wrong in believing that money from nefarious sources could not be seductive for poorly paid scientists when family survival was at stake. Several Russian rocket experts from a research complex in the southern Urals came to my office in search of projects that could be supported by the istc after the center was established. For decades, their complex had specialized in designing guidance systems for missiles, including submarinelaunched missiles. They informed us that they were members of a group of
twenty-five Russian scientists who had tried to go to North Korea in 1992, only to be apprehended at the Moscow airport by Russian authorities and sent back to the Urals.
They had planned to work for thousands of dollars per year in a rapidly expanding technology center in North Korea, which reportedly was developing communication satellite systems. The director of a research institute at the Urals complex and officials of several Russian government agencies had approved their trip, perhaps with promises of receiving a share of the earnings. But at the last minute, a Russian security agency became concerned over the transfer of rocket know-how to North Korea. This security watchdog canceled the visit as the scientists waited at the Moscow airport to board their international flight to Pyongyang.
At the same time, we were receiving other reports of a variety of illicit activities originating in Russia. For example, in 1993 as we attempted to interest chemical weapons experts working in several Russian institutions in participating in istc activities, we received disturbing reports about Russian exports of dangerous chemicals in several directions, exports that were not approved by the Russian government. In particular, several documents came to our attention about Russian shipments of vx precursors for nerve gas to Syria. While we had few details, there was little doubt that retired Russian military leaders with extensive chemical backgrounds were deriving profit from such dangerous trade arrangements.
Then much later, in 2011, I, and indeed the world, learned about another highly questionable activity that was underway in 1993. Russian scientists at one of the country’s two nuclear weapons design centers had established a small firm, with headquarters in Ukraine, to provide advisory services concerning nuclear developments. The Russian firm established relationships with the Iranian Institute of Physics, allegedly to perfect a process for producing artificial diamonds. At least one Russian scientist became a frequent visitor to the Institute of Physics, where he gave a series of lectures about nuclear developments. According to a report of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 2011, the lectures covered highly sensitive topics, with relevance to the design of initiators needed to ignite a nuclear explosion. The Russian physicist immediately took issue with the report, stating that he was not a technically skilled weapons scientist but simply gave lectures about basic physics with little relevance to weapons. In the aftermath of his association with activities in Iran, he had applied for an istc grant in the mid-1990s. His project proposal was favorably
