§ Mr. R. Morganasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether his attention had been called to the decision of the Australian Government to appoint a Scientific Attaché to Moscow; what is the present scientific establishment of His Britannic Majesty's Embassy in Moscow; and whether any plans are under consideration for strengthening it, in view of the importance of scientific relations with the U.S.S.R.
§ Mr. George HallThe answer to the first part of the Question is in the affirmative. As regards the second part, there is at present no officer on the staff of His Majesty's Embassy in Moscow with this specific duty. His Majesty's Government have for long been aware of the desirability of keeping in close contact with the developments and achievements of Soviet scientific thought. To this end they suggested to the Soviet Government at the beginning of last year that a distinguished scientist should visit the Soviet Union for the purpose of discussing with Soviet officials and scientists the steps which might be taken for the improvement of scientific exchanges of a nonmilitary character. The Soviet Government felt, however, that, in view of the fact that many scientific institutions have been removed to different and often remote parts of the U.S.S.R., the visit should be deferred to a more favourable time. None the less, a certain amount of scientific information has been exchanged, as well as scientific periodicals, and the possibilities of increasing scientific contacts are constantly watched.