ciding even operational questions. Though a more ra- 

 tional division of decision making responsibility has 

 recently evolved, the real political bargaining over 

 basic policy still occurs within the executive organs 

 of the Communist Party. 



The Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) 



Although the Party has no formal responsibility in 

 R&D planning and management, the de facto authority 

 of the Party is extensive. The highest organs of the 

 Party — the Politburo and the Secretariat — generally 

 are acknowledged to be, respectively, the leading de- 

 cision-making body and chief executive arm in the So- 

 viet Union. The Politburo defines national priori- 

 ties and determines the broad contours of policy for 

 the economy, science, and technology. Directives of 

 the Politburo, in turn, are reflected in the policy 

 deliberations and formulations of the USSR Council of 

 Ministers; indeed, questions of fundamental impor- 

 tance are decided jointly by the Central Committee 

 and the Council and are published as joint decrees. 

 As evidence of the close working relationship between 

 the Party and government leadership elements, virtu- 

 ally all members of the USSR Council of Ministers are 

 also members of the Central Committee and, in some 

 cases, also of the Politburo. 



The Central Committee Secretariat is the chief ex- 

 ecutive body of the Party charged with operational 

 coordination and day-to-day decision making. The Sec- 

 retariat reserves the right to intervene in the work- 

 ings of the ministries and other government agencies 

 to enforce priorities. Its Department of Science and 

 Higher Educational Institutions exercises broad over- 

 sight responsibilities in science-related matters. In 

 addition, this department has been a major training 

 ground for high level science and educational admin- 

 istrators. For example, M. A. Prokofiev, the Minis- 

 ter of Education, was at one time its head as was 

 V. A. Kirillin, the Chairman of the State Committee 

 for Science and Technology. Other departments of 

 the Secretariat that appear to play important roles 

 in S&T policy are those of Defense Industry, Heavy 



24 



