NCJ Number
189710
Date Published
May 2001
Length
30 pages
Annotation
The report provides an overview of the Department of State's efforts to pay scientists in Russia and Ukraine to conduct peaceful research.
Abstract
Between 30,000 and 75,000 scientists worked in the Soviet Union to develop weapons of mass destruction. To prevent these underpaid workers from selling their expertise to countries of concern, the United States has funded 590 projects in which the researchers develop anticancer drugs, enhance environmental cleanup, or ensure safety at nuclear reactors. The workers earn $20 to $22 per day and are paid in cash. The United States pays more for projects than any other country. Since 1994, $227 million has been appropriated. The State Department does not directly monitor the activities or results of the work of scientists who are participating in the projects at science centers. Instead, the State Department relies on the mostly Russian and Ukrainian technical specialists, who are overseen by international managers. The science centers take action to address deficiencies uncovered through monitoring. The terms of the project agreements do not allow auditors to track what the scientists are doing while they are not working on the projects. Some of the scientists work as little as a few days on the project over an entire year. Consequently, the State Department knows little about the scientists' activities outside the program. Appendix with comments from the State Department