SOVIET EFFORT TO CONTACT EXTRATERRESTRIAL LIFE

This intelligence report from the Foreign Technology Division, dated February 3, 1967, provides a comprehensive review of Soviet scientific efforts concerning the search for extraterrestrial civilizations. The document highlights that while Soviet materialistic philosophy is inherently compatible with the existence of extraterrestrial life, the scientific community in the USSR remains divided on the practicalities of establishing contact. The report identifies the First All-Union Conference on Extraterrestrial Civilizations, held at the Byurakan Observatory in May 1964, as the pivotal event that brought official recognition to the subject within the Soviet Union. Key figures such as I. S. Shklovskiy, N. S. Kardashev, and V. A. Kotel'nikov are identified as central to these discussions. The report details various Soviet theoretical approaches, including Kardashev's energy-based classification of civilizations and the debate over the use of the 21 cm hydrogen wavelength for interstellar communication. Despite the high level of theoretical discourse, the report concludes that there is no evidence of large-scale practical efforts in the USSR to contact or decipher messages from extraterrestrial sources. Instead, research is limited to small-scale projects and observational studies using existing radio telescopes, such as the RT-22 and the Pulkovo radio telescope. The document also notes a recurring theme of sensationalism in some Soviet popular literature, which the scientific establishment, particularly astronomers, actively works to refute. The report emphasizes that the Soviet approach to this problem is characterized by a mix of serious scientific inquiry and a utilitarian focus on the potential technological benefits of developing advanced radio communication methods. It concludes by noting that while the Soviets have the technical capacity to conduct a systematic survey of the sky, they have not yet committed to such a program, and international cooperation remains a possibility for future efforts.