magnification/7 Consequently, the report says, "the nation's industrial competitiveness has been a minor issue in policy making. In all too many instances, government poli­cies designed to solve a problem in one area are in direct contradiction with the needs and policies of an­other area/7 It concludes that "the time has arrived for the develop­ment of technical expertise in gov­ernment that can span many areas that are in frequent conflict—envi­ronment, energy, industrial growth, economic growth—and help gov­ernment arrive at a consistent set of policies that meets the overall needs of our nation and at the same time gives our industries a consistent set of guidelines they can depend on.77

It will be up to the 101st Con­gress, come January, to decide whether to implement any of the task force's recommendations.

Janice Long

Soviets to permit Sakharov to visit VS. In a dramatic illustration of the changes in Soviet science and soci­ety wrought by Mikhail S. Gorba­chev's policy of glasnost (openness), physicist and human rights leader Andrei D. Sakharov has been given permission by the Soviet govern­ment to visit the U.S. next week.

Two years ago, the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate was still in internal exile in Gorki because of his dissi­dent activities. Sakharov was de­nounced by prominent fellow sci­entists and political leaders, and suf­fered through seven years of isola­tion and harassment that ended only in December 1986. Now, back in Moscow, he has resumed scientific work, heading a department of cos­mology at the Soviet Academy of Sciences. He has met several times with Gorbachev and, further cli­maxing his remarkable rehabilita­tion, was elected earlier this month by fellow scientists to the acade­my's policy-making presidium.

The U.S. visit will be the first trip abroad for Sakharov, barred previ­ously from travel for his knowl­edge of "state secrets77 as a leader in development of the Soviet hydro-

Sakharov: remarkable rehabilitation

gen bomb. He is coming^with other leading Soviet scientists and schol­ars to attend board meetings of a newly formed philanthropic group, the International Foundation for the Survival & Development of Human­ity. Led by chairman Yevgeniy P. Velikhov, vice president of the So­viet academy, and vice chairman Je­rome B. Wiesner, former U.S. Presi­dential Science Adviser, the non­governmental, privately financed foundation will support work on such issues as security and disarma­ment, the environment, develop­ment, education, and human rights.

Sakharov will arrive Nov. 6 and first will visit family members in Boston, according to his son-in-law, Efrem Yankelevich. During a stay of about two weeks, he will spend several days in Washington, D.C., for foundation meetings. While there, he is expected to meet with National Academy of Sciences lead­ers and perhaps President Reagan. He also has tentative plans to visit New York City, Chicago, San Fran­cisco, and Los Angeles. The Com­mittee of Concerned Scientists (CCS) and the New York Academy of Sci­ences hope to cohost a reception for him in New York City, but have not yet had a response from Sakharov.

U.S. observers view Sakharov7s visit and election to the presidium as "enormously significant.77 Presid­ium membership means Sakharov

probably will have "more weight with the government, more influ­ence on the course of perestroika" (restructuring of Soviet society and economy), notes Yankelevich. And permission for him to visit the U.S. dramatizes what is already happen­ing for other Soviet scientists—much greater freedom to travel abroad, points out CCS executive director Dorothy Hirsch. "They are sending a signal that they want more open and free communication.77 Indeed, the Soviets already are rapidly expanding exchanges and coopera­tion with U.S. scientific groups.

Whether this presages a more lib­eral. Soviet policy toward refusenik scientists (those refused emigration visas, often on grounds of alleged knowledge of "state secrets77) is still not clear, Hirsch adds. Many long­time refusenik scientists have been allowed to leave—CCS7s list is down from 900 three years ago to 545 now—but many have still been wait­ing 10 years or more, and new names keep appearing. A test of So­viet intentions will be made on Dec. 8-10, when refuseniks plan an in­ternational scientific conference in Moscow. Sakharov plans to partici­pate, and scientists are expected from the U.S. and Western Europe. Soviet officials prevented holding of such a conference in 1981, the last time one was scheduled.

Richard Seltzer

Ciba-Geigy denied permit to build plant The New Jersey Department of En­vironmental Protection (DEP) has denied Ciba-Geigy7s application for a permit to build a $90 million phar­maceuticals plant at the company's 1275-acre Toms River site until it formulates a comprehensive plan to clean up existing chemical contam­ination at the site.

John Weingart, director of the di­vision of coastal resources for the New Jersey agency, says that once the company comes up with a com­prehensive plan to clean up the site, it could reapply for a permit.

Toxic waste problems date back to 1977 at Toms River, where textile dyes and epoxy resins have been

October 31, 1988 C&EN 5