136 SCIENTIST IN RUSSIA

Academy. Similar happy dislocations of the programme
were taking place in every other section.

On Friday, 22 June, according to the printed programme,
the celebrations and the delegates were to move to
Leningrad. But word had been passed round that the trip
to Leningrad was postponed tul the following Sunday.
The reason for this was not announced: it was to enable
the delegates to witness the Victory Parade, to be held (so
it was rumoured) on 24 June. Accordingly, instead of
'the trip to Leningrad, there were two other excursions:
one a boat trip up the Volga canal in the motor vessels
* Joseph Stalin' and ' Klim Voroshilov'; and the other a
train trip to Tolstoy's country home, Yasnaya Polyana,
under the guidance of Tolstoy's grand-daughter. Reporters
travelled with the foreign delegates on each trip and
recorded their small talk, which appeared in the next day's
newspapers. On Saturday, 23 June, the delegates returned
to Moscow to find three new engagements made for them
for that day, and invitations from the Soviet Government
to see the Victory Parade on the Red Square on the ,
following day.

One of the fresh engagements was a reception by the
Praesidium of the Academy, at which there were more
speeches. Greetings were brought to the Academy by
French, American, Indian, and Mongolian scientists, and
from the filials ?of Kazakstan and Kirghizia. The most
notable event was a speech in English by Kapitsa. It is
common knowledge in Moscow that Kapitsa occupies
a very privileged place in Soviet science. He is frequently
consulted on matters of general policy and it is rumoured
that, unlike all other scientists, he is immune from the
tiresome business of submitting estimates for the expenses
of his institute. It is probable that in this speech Kapitsa
was the mouthpiece for Government policy. The following
is a summary of what he said:—

What will the consequences of this Conference be ? The U.S.S.R.
appreciates the achievements of British science. Our achievements*