320 



International Relations of the National Academy of Sciences, re- 

 marked that "scientists from countries whose political leaders were 

 snarling at each other worked on in amity . . . ." M Walter Sullivan, 

 science writer for the New York Times assigned to cover the IGY 

 full time, remarked that the program was "... carried forward by a 

 seemingly irresistible tide of scientific enthusiasm." w Sidney Chapman 

 commented upon the "co-operative and harmonious spirit" among 

 the scientists of the 67 nations associated with the IGY, pointing out 

 that "Their common interest in its subject and purposes made it pos- 

 sible for them to work together despite differences of race, creed, or 

 political organization." OT 



J. Tuzo Wilson, who served as president of the IUGG. during the 

 IGY, attributed this cooperation and harmony to the fact that "The 

 senior scientists trusted one another and expected, in turn, to be 

 trusted. Generally speaking, this faith was justified and generated 

 confidence." a8 However, Wflson recognized that all political influences 

 in so broad an undertaking could not completely be avoided, and that 

 the scientists involved were not unrealistic in their expectations in 

 that ". . . the participants were alive to human frailty and to the 

 reality of political influences, so they did not expect perfection." 69 

 Although, according to Atwood, "At no time did the scientists allow 

 political differences to block their course," 70 nonetheless, such 

 differences did on occasion arise and had to be dealt with. 



Political Constraints on the Program 



Political constraints upon the IGY were minimized by adherence 

 to a fundamental principle of the ICSU and its affiliated bodies: that 

 scientists from any country or territory were welcomed as participants, 

 and that such participation carried no implications for diplomatic 

 recognition of the government of the country or territory concerned. 

 As pointed out by Atwood, "This principle made possible the virtually 

 universal enrollment of national scientific communities in the IGY." " 

 However, the principle could not at times surmount the de facto 

 recognition which the existence of national committees implied, 

 particularly when two opposing groups or committees claimed the 

 same nationality. 



THE TWO CHINAS 



Political difficulties concerning the two Chinas — the People's 

 Republic of China (Red China) and the Republic of China (Nation- 

 alist China) — were perhaps the most marked of all political influences 

 that affected the IGY. According to Chapman, these difficulties left 

 the members of the CSAGI with ". . . some of their most painful 

 IGY memories." n Given the attitudes of the protagonists, the 

 problem was inherently insoluble. 



The People's Republic of China formed an IGY Committee late 

 in 1955 through the Peking Academia Sinica, which had built a 

 worldwide reputation for scientific scholarship. The Pekirig Committee 



« Atwood, "The IQ Y In Retrospect," p. 682. 



" Sullivan, "The I(1Y," p. 299. 



w Chapman, Year of Discovery, p. 107. 



M Wil.-on, New Moon*, p. 326 



«• Wilson, New Moon*, p. 326. 



w Atwood, "The IGY In Retrospect," p. 688. 



73 Atwood, "The IOY in Retrospect," p. 6K I 



n Chapmun, "International Cooperation," p. 178. 



