Letter to the Editor
Freedom of movement
Dear Bill:
In the IUCr Newsletter, the article by Boris Vainshtein stimulated me to rummage in my files for the enclosed picture of Belov, taken at the 1957 Congress of the IUCr which was held in Montreal because the State Department was not happy about admitting the East Germany delegation to the United States.
Belov, who was then head of the Russian delegation, asked me, who then chaired the US delegation, whether it would be possible for the Russian visitors to visit the US, and especially the Bell Telephone Laboratories. I said I would see what could be done and set the wheels in motion in the State Department and at Bell Laboratories.
The wheels ground slowly. In the picture I was apologizing to Belov for the delay in answering his request. His answer was that I didn't have to explain to him. "Remember - I come from Russia!"
Elizabeth A. WoodNew Jersey, USA