The First Elections of Members of the USSR Academy of Sciences for the Siberian Branch in 1958 in Documentary Reflection

The article presents documents identified in the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History.The first document is information to the Central Committee of the CPSU from the leaders of the USSR Academy of Sciences about the past elections of academicians and corresponding members for the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences in 1958.The second document is a memorandum from the leadership of the relevant department of the CPSU Central Committee to the higher authority of the Central Committee with comments on a number of issues of the past elections in the Academy of Sciences.Documentary content reveals the algorithm for the first elections of members of the USSR Academy of Sciences for the Siberian Branch in 1958.An analysis of the documents shows that the innovation in the academic sphere to create the first regional branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences required the adoption of non-standard decisions that were aimed at providing qualified personnel to new institutes in Siberia and the Far East.The first generation of academicians and corresponding members of the USSR Academy of Sciences, elected from the Siberian Branch in 1958, made a significant contribution to the organization of the activities of newly created institutes, the development of new scientific directions, and personnel training.The documents clearly indicate that despite the apparent independence in decision-making in the scientific field, personnel issues were under the close attention of the relevant departments of the CPSU Central Committee.All information was flowed into the party authorities and carefully analyzed: about candidates for elections to the Academy of Sciences, about the appointment of directors of scientific institutions, about the party "layer" in specialized departments of the Academy and in research institutes, etc.Nevertheless, in a number of cases a certain consensus was reached between scientific and party structures.The latter turned a blind eye to increasing the social status of a scientist with a "flaw" in his biography if he had significant scientific results, and the scientific community defended his candidacy in the party and government structures.