Memoirs of Pavel Sudoplatov

(Adopted by Council on April 23, 1994)

The elected Council of the American Physical Society expresses its profound dismay at undocumented allegations in the "memoirs" of former Soviet spymaster Pavel Sudoplatov claiming that some of the most eminent scientists of this century were engaged in passing atomic secrets to agents of the Soviet Union. The charges are made by a man who has characterized himself as a master of deception and deceit. None of the scientists named are alive to refute these sensational claims; however, surviving colleagues point to serious discrepancies in the published account.

The cloud of suspicion created by these allegations is injurious to the trust that must exist between the public and the scientific community and painful to the families and colleagues of these great scientists. We therefore call on the United States government to undertake a prompt and thorough investigation to determine whether these claims have any basis in fact.