THE BAIKAL COUNTER-VERSION AND SOVIET SCIENCE EXPERTISE: A HISTORY OF ONE SEISMOLOGICAL DISPUTE (1962–1963)

Abstract

The paper examines some beginning events of the Baikal discussion using the STS approach. The author addresses the disputes about seismicity of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (PP M) and Selenga Paper Mill sites in 1962–1963 to identify the specifics of Soviet expertise and the role of the Siberian Branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences as an expert. In February, 1962, the Siberian Branch approached the Council of Ministers of the USSR with the proposal to reject the construction of pulp and paper mills on Baikal because of the increased seismic hazard of the selected sites. The scientists of the Siberian Branch of the Academy of Sciences defined the latter as 10 points, after which the State Construction Committee banned further construction of the Baikal PP M until this circumstance was clarified. Finally, the government commission and additional construction experts estimated the sites of both plants at 9 points. The attempt of the Siberian Branch to challenge this conclusion was not successful. The author reconstructs the events of this counter-version and concludes that in the sphere of expertise the political moment of the Baikal discussion manifested itself not in the positions of the parties and not even in their arguments, but in the ability of government institutions to determine when the discussion was possible and when it should have stopped.