This 1972 CIA Intelligence Information Report documents a US attendee's account of a speculative paper presented by Soviet physicists N. Kardashev and Andrei Sakharov at a September 1971 conference on the origins of life in Yerevan, Armenia. The paper explored theoretical physics questions about what happens when charged mass collapses in space, drawing on general relativity concepts.
What was the Kardashev-Sakharov paper about?
The paper examined charged mass collapse in space. Kardashev explained that an uncharged mass would collapse past the point of gravitational singularity and lose all contact with the outside world. However, the authors speculated that a charged mass would behave differently: it would collapse but then bounce back out, re-entering space-time at a different location.
Who were the authors and what were their interests?
N. Kardashev worked at the Institute for Space Research in Moscow. His co-author was Andrei Sakharov, described as an internationally famous theoretical physicist. According to the report, Sakharov was primarily interested in the charged mass phenomenon because it suggested the structure of space might be more complicated than currently understood. Kardashev approached the study from an astrophysics perspective, examining what implications the phenomenon would have if the underlying physics proved correct.
How did the US attendee evaluate the paper?
The US attendee who reported on the presentation felt the authors' speculation was somewhat fantastic and that they had taken their ideas in a wild direction. However, the attendee believed the paper was grounded in sound physics.
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App r oved f o r Re l ease 202 6
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Intelligence Information Report
DIIECTOIATI Of
INTWIOOICI
COUNTRY USSH REPOP.TNO. 00-B-'321/0770')-72 ·
SUBJECT Specw.ative Paper by li KardubeY and DATE OISTlt. 10Apr72
/\ Sakharov on Charged Hus in Cpa.;.,e
nt Cont'erenee on Orici,'13 or Lite, NO. PAGH 2
Armenia, 6-6 September 1971/IAw
Scientific Level ot' Other S~v:let DCS Cue ST,026
Pnpers
DATE Of INFO. 6-8 September 1911
PLACE & DATE ACQ. BY SOURCE Yerevan/6-6 September 1971
THr4i IS UNEVAWATEO INFORMATION
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SOURCE US cithen! fni1a report consists ..
or edited abstracts trom a 1 etter recel ved from a reliable colleague
who attended the Yerevan Conference,
'
i
l, At the Conference on the Origins of Lite in Yerevo.n, Armenia, $SR,
6-8 Septemher 1971, NS ~.ardashev, Ins titute for Sp~c~ Research, Moscov, I
r e ad an interesting but highly Dpeculative paper he had prepared on
r.enera.l relativity and the possibility of a bod;f collap3inc into a
black hole in apace. His co-author vas tbe internationally f81110us
theoretica.l. physicist, Andrei D Su.harov. Y..o.rda.ohev iD very much like
l
hi s superior and former teacher at the Institute, IS Shklovskiy, in
·1
his cq>proaeh to acientific problems. Ile is not at'raid to speculate in
his effort to find a solution, I I
2. The Kardnshev-Sakharov paper concerned the authors' study of vhat hnppene
I
when a charged mass or bod,v collapses in space. Knrdn.:.hcv stnteci that,
if it \·~re not cha.ri;ed, the mass would Just co llnpse pas t the point of
~ravitational singularity and be gone forever. In other words, the mass
I I
vould close in on itself and have no more contact with t he outside I
world. 'l'he Soviets speculated on what vould happen 1 f the mass were
charged. '!'hey stated that t hen the mnse vould be o.ble to boW1ce. It
would collapse but boW1ce back out. Hovcver, the mass will come back
into n different part of space time.
3. After his presentation, Kardashev told a US attendee that Sakharov vo.s
mo~tly interested in this charced mass phenomenon study becaus e i t in
d.i.catcs that the structure of space may be much more complicated than
i s preaently thought. Kardashev vas interested i n the s t udy from t he
vi evpoint or what implications it has for o.strophysi c~ , provided the
basic pnysics of the phenomenon 1s correct, 'l'he US attendee f elt the
a uthors • speculation vas a little fantastic and they had tllkcn off in
Ii rather vild vo.y. lfovcver, he believed their paper vas grounded in
e ood and sound physica,
.I
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s 5
4 4
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--- PAGE 2 --- View the official fileFrequently Asked Questions
What was the main topic of the Kardashev-Sakharov paper?
The paper studied what happens when a charged mass or body collapses in space. The authors theorized that while an uncharged mass would collapse past the point of gravitational singularity and disappear, a charged mass would collapse but then bounce back out and re-enter space-time at a different location.
Who attended the conference and reported on this paper?
A US citizen who was a reliable colleague attended the Yerevan Conference on the Origins of Life in Armenia from September 6-8, 1971. This person sent a letter with edited abstracts to the CIA, which formed the basis of this intelligence report.
Why was Sakharov interested in this charged mass research?
According to Kardashev's comments to the US attendee, Sakharov was primarily interested in the charged mass phenomenon because it indicated that the structure of space may be much more complicated than currently thought.
What was the US attendee's assessment of the paper's scientific merit?
The US attendee felt the authors' speculation was somewhat fantastic and that they had taken their ideas in a rather wild direction. However, the attendee believed their paper was grounded in good and sound physics.
Congressional Context
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