from Euratom and the Italian atomic been unsatisfactory, at least in respect tion and a leader of the "progressives"

energy commission.
The agreement is believed to be the
first of its kind involving an American
university in a regular doctoral pro-
gram abroad. Creation of the studium,
however, can be seen as a logical out-
come of the heavy transatlantic traffic
in molecular biologists. Most influential
European biologists have spent sub-
stantial periods working in American
universities,and many have been favor-
ably impressed by American graduate
education as a system for bringing
young scientists from the basic-univer-
sity-degree level to that of independent
research scientists.
In most European countries the sys-
tem for bringing young scientists from
the level of the basic degree to that of
independent research scientists has
to numbers. In Italy, for example, there
is no equivalent of the Ph.D. regimen.
And partisans of reform frequently ad-
vance the American model.
A central figure in the new agree-
ment is Professor Adriano Buzzati-
Traverso, director of ILGB. Buzzati-
Traverso was professor of biology at
the University of California Scripps
Institutionof Oceanographyfor a num-
ber of years, returningto Italy in 1957
to become director of the Institute of
Genetics of the University of Pavia.
From there, he and several of his co-
workers moved to Naples, where, with
scientists from other Italian univer-
sities, they formed the ILGB 5 years
ago. Buzzati-Traversohas been an ac-
tive and influential member of the
European Molecular Biology Organiza-
on the current campaign for university
reform in Italy.
On the American side, the agreement
comes at a time when government
funds for both postgraduate study and
support of research abroad are being
cut. It is interesting to note that, while
the studium is now limited to molecu-
lar biology, it is being suggested that
the program may eventually be ex-
panded to include other fields. As an
innovator NSF is filing a claim for the
future. The new studium serves as a
useful symbol that the United States
is not liquidating its interest in interna-
tional science. Also, through its co-
operative form, it makes the U.S. a
partner rather than a donor, a role
that should be a more comfortable
one in the long run.-JOHN WALSH

close observer, is that "You will not

see a dramatic pattern of, for instance,
25 refusals of 100 proposed projects.
The academic process isn't like this.
Foreign Research: CIA Plus Camelot The controls operate farther back in
the system, in the personal relation-
Equals Troubles for U.S. Scholars ships between individuals and between
institutions." There are also some offi-
cial controls on foreign research: the
State Department has been monitoring
With social scientists now making that in at least five Latin American the federally financed portion of Amer-
their annual summer exodus to the countries American researchers are re- ican projects since shortly after Came-
foreign countries in which they con- garded with increasing suspicion. He lot, and a number of foreign govern-
duct field work, many of them are dis- told Science that feelers he had ex- ments, especially in Africa, have begun
covering that their "laboratories" tended regarding the continuation of to institute review procedures of their
abroad have been metaphorically pad- research in both Peru and Chile were own. But by most accounts the barriers
locked. In only a few instances have discouraged by his Latin American as- to research are those raised by individ-
American scholars been expelled or sociates, apparently out of fear that, uals and institutions abroad who are
projects been subjected to abrupt can- whether or not the CIA was in fact in- no longer willing to play host to the
cellation. Nonetheless, inquiries by Sci- volved, it would appear to have been. Yankees.
ence make it clear that following last In these circumstances, collaboration One exception to the pattern of low-
winter's revelations about the involve- with Americans involved great political key discouragementsis the direct with-
ment of the Central Intelligence Agency risk to the collaborators. He also re- drawal by a Brazilian group from a
with the nation's universities-as well ported that, in the case of an interna- collaborative program with Cornell
as earlier revelations about military tional meeting that he was to have University, known as the Cornell-Brazil
sponsorship of social-research projects organized, the reaction of the sched- Project. The project was about to en-
such as Camelot-a pattern is emerging uled participants was one of extreme ter its 3rd year. In each of the last
of informal discouragement of the ini- suspicion about who would be paying 2 years, about 20 American students,
tiation or continuation of American the bills; plans for the meeting were after substantial academic preparation
social science research abroad. canceled. and language training, have spent the
This pattern is difficult to document Another researcher,also in the Latin summer studying the problems of devel-
with precision for two reasons. First, American field, told Science that, in opment first-hand by working in pov-
many of the scholars contacted are addition to difficulties in arranging for erty-ridden northeast Brazil in associa-
willing to discuss their experiences only institutional affiliations abroad, certain tion with a group of Brazilian student
in broad terms, evidently out of con- kinds of social research-particularly leaders. Excerpts from a letter from
cern that naming names and institu- survey research-have become exceed- the Brazilians to Cornell explaining
tions would only further threaten al- ingly difficult because of noncooper- the reasons for withdrawing from the
ready fragile relations. More important- ation by important sections of the project are printed in the box on p.
ly, however, the process at work is a population-the upper classes, the in- 1584. The letter is worth noting in
subtle one and difficult to pin down in tellectuals, and the Left. detail, for it illuminates many of the
any formal way. One scholar reports What it amounts to, according to one complexities that currently affect Amer-
23 JUNE 1967 1583
 well as the underdeveloped countries.
The following is excerpted from a letter to Cornell from a Brazilian But the underdeveloped countries add
group, explaining reasons for terminating the Brazil Project. to this resentment a particularhostility
toward American colonialism, and,
. . . There were two essential points of a general nature to be while they share with the rest of the
considered [regarding cancellation]. First there was a mobilization and world a general dismay over the war
radicalizationwithout precedent in the Brazilian student movement .... in Vietnam, they have an additional
The repudiation by the university student of American interference has fear that a similarly bloody form of
produced demonstrations which were so strong that the Government American protection may be thrust on
came to the point of admitting a revision of the agreements between the them next.
Ministry of Education and USAID. In the second place, there is the While the causes of hostility perhaps
pitiable incident of the involvement and interference of a security can be illuminated easily enough, the
service of the American governmentin the academic community of your question remains: What can be done?
country. It is clear that in reality it is not possible, in this episode, to Some of the professional associations
make a distinction between a university that was actually involved or and the area-studies associations are
disassociate one particular section of the university membership that is beginning to gather information about
actually involved. In terms of work and of information, for the Brazilian the extent of current problems, but no
student the entire North American academic community is involved overall survey of their dimensions is
with that agency of the government. This is the existing impression. underway, and there is no discernible
These two facts create a picture in which minute data or nuances lose movement to plan ways of reversingthe
meaning and from which it is impossible to escape. How can one main- trend. Among some social scientists
tain and justify a relationship with an institution-the university in the there appears to be a hope that some
United States-which permits itself to be transformedinto the instrument salvation at least would derive from
of a security agency which today is internationally known as the in- establishment of a National Social Sci-
stigator of dictatorial coups? ence Foundation, such as is now being
We know perfectly well that you and all your friends at Cornell- discussed. The belief is that such a
both students and professors-are not to be associated with the unhappy clearly civilian umbrella for research
discoveries of February. We also know that the Brazil Project did not funds would eradicate some of the
receive money from foundations linked to the security service of the doubts that have arisen abroad as a
American government. And we know as well that those students chosen result of military financing. In other
for this year are highly qualified, socially concerned, and "movement- circles there appears to be a feeling
oriented." But the project is set up in the name of an institution called that one way to remove the obstacles
the University in America. And as one of our mutual friends said in would be to scale down the nature of
his letter, in this case, lamentably the just will pay for the sinners. research projects-some of which have
been extremely grandiose in both their
use of resources and their objectives-
to tone things down a bit and become
ican academic relations abroad. Latin America, is by no means con- generally less conspicuous. Others be-
The social scientists questioned by fined to the Left. He believes that lieve that the thing to do is to make
Science have discerned many of the while the desire to dissociate from sure that "our consciences are clear,"
same attitudes reflected in the letter America varies from country to coun- that researchers are what they appear
from Brazil. They believe that the for- try and, within each country, with par- to be, that they are not undertaking
eign academicians are not hostile to in- ticular classes, it is nonetheless an researchthat will be used to hianipulate
dividual Americans so much as they are across-the-board phenomenon among the host country against its own con-
wary about the system in which the those who are literate. In some places, ception of its own interests. A good
Americans appear to operate. Distinc- he says, "The Right has been rejecting many of those involved, themselves dis-
tions that may seem valid at close range America for longer than the Left." mayed by some of the same aspects of
-between an institution affiliated with According to this scholar, as well as American policy that trouble the un-
the CIA and one not affiliated,between others, the notoriety given the CIA derdevelopedcountries, find themselves
research sponsored by a military agen- last winter only added to a preexisting sympathizing with the reaction while
cy and research privately sponsored- tendency. Camelot isolated one particu- distressed about the damage to their
are apt to look different from a dis- lar way in which social scientists have own professional interests. In these
tance. "It is not a question of mistrust- used their disciplines in an exploitative groups there appears to be a good
ing individuals," according to one fashion, and was important, he be- deal of soul-searching about what the
researcher, "but a question of the pub- lieves, in singling out American aca- proper role of social researchersabroad
lic-relations impact on local institutions demicians as targets for the local poli- should be.
if they are discovered to be cooperating ticians. But there seems to be a feeling Safeguards instituted by the profes-
with Americans. Sometimes it happens that the social scientists are caught up sionals themselves may be of some help
even when the personal relationships in a general reaction against the United in restoring a climate more favorable
are long-standing and secuire.But, poli- States, and that the role of researchers to foreign research. But the research
tically, they cannot afford to be cooper- is only one component. With America is also deeply affected by the political
ating with Americans anymore." situated on the profitable side of the relations between the U.S. and foreign
Another researcher believes that it "technologygap" and the "braindrain," nations, and over these relations the re-
is important to note that this pattern resentment toward the U.S. is both in- searchers themselves have little control.
of rejection of U.S. ties, especially in evitable and large, in the developed as -ELINOR LANGER
1584 SCIENCE, VOL.156