Evening star., 1961-01-01

Glepuaub was Ike q rope. ana
the fourth. touching o leg. said
the elephant resemhled Q tree.
A situation very like that
was revealed here during the
INTERPRETIVE REPORT
127th annual convention Of the
American Association for the
Advancement Of Science. just.
ended. The revealing occasion
was . two-day symposium Of
as experts on sThe Sciences in
Communist China =
The reports Of these scien-
lists. derived from professional
papers, personal judgments.
and various contacts showed O.
supposedly sleeping giant
who ID actually very much
awake.
But It was invitable that the
scientists reports to their COL
leagues were much like the
blind mems judgments about
the elephant. With the excep-
ton Of one scientist, none Of
those reporting on Communist
China had been there since the
Reds took over q decade ago.
Canadian Visits Red China
This situation was not Of the
scientists choosing. Since the
intellectual reformation Of
Newton's time, scientists have
been disinclined to make judg-
ments except on the basis Of
personal observation. To rem
der reports to their colleagues
at q scientific assemhlage on
the basis Of hearsay must have
been little short Of repugnant.
But their secondhand evi-
dence was the best available
on q subject that the scientific
community agreed sorely|
needed public discussion: Is
China holding its own in the
scientific and chronological
race?
The sole expert with first
hand knowledge Of his subject
was DR.. J. Tuzo Wilson. profess
sor Of physics ct the University
Of Toronto. Travelling on o.
Canadian passport. he had no
difficulty visiting Red China
during the period just before
the international Geophysical
Year, and no trouble seeing the
Reds work in geophysics.
Reds Seeking Prestige
The evidences Of DR.. Wilson'S
eyes is that the Chinese Com
munists know what they are
doing In his field Of geophysics.
The secondhand evidence Of
his colleagues, based largely on
reports that are checkahle atI
least to some extent, Is that
the Reds are doing good work
in most Of the other sciences
that count In Q race for status,
prestige and power.
At present. the scientists
think. their Red Chinese COL
leagues are several years behind
Western and Soviet science, but
they believe that at the rate
the Chinese are driving for par
ity with the West, they may
wen catch up In from S to Is
years.
That Is what they think.
What they KNOWN the sense
that DR.. Wilson knows about
geophysics-is very little, and
much Of it negative In form.
They know. for instance, that
the Reds have published very
little in nuclear or high energy
physics. Is that because they
are doing little, or doing much
and keeping it secret? No one
on this side Of the Iron Curtain
knows.
Exchange Of Information
The experts were unable toI
answer Q question about vana-
dunn production In Red China.
This might seem trivial, but
vanadium 10 usually found in
combination with uranium in
ores. and Chinese yanadium
production might be some hint
Of the Communists present or
1uCure potential Tor atom bomb
making.
While the scientists did not
suggest that they should be
sent to Red China as spies, 1t
was clear that they felt the
only way ever to learn about
the trans-Pacific giant would
be to send qualified persons
there to exchange information
with scientific colleagues.
There is q stamp in my
passport which says. Not
Valid for Travel in Communist
China" said DR.. Sidney H.
Gould. editor Of the learned
Mathematical Review. "The