Dear Colleague,

   We have learned with surprise and regret that the 4th Advanced Study
  Institute of Molecular Biology, planned for july 1967 and cancelled bwing
  to. the seizure of power in Greece by the military.junta> is to be held on
,the (Island of:Spetsaithis summer.  The Nato Advanced Study ~Institute on
   the Structure and Evolution of the Galaxy; a Symposium on the Radiation-
  Induced Neoplasms and nine others Advanced Study Institutes are planped
  to be held this summer onthe Island of Crete and on Lagonissi in Grbece.
                                                                           

    It is however barely'a yea,r since the Minis,ter of Education and Reli-
                                                             
   gious Affairs in the colonels'government dismissed 56 professors fro; the
    Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine of the Universities of
    Salonica and Athens, on charges of " disloyalty 1( and " lack of moral
     authority "' br6ught against them by the special police services. They
    were not given any means of defending 'themselves.  Ministerial decisions
    regarding dismissals of certain numbers of professors have also been'
     published recently.                 

         .!     ,' i.                                              ;
    ,Information'provided in a pamphlet on the JJ cleansing" of the Greek
     Universities, throws some`light on these illegal measures,,  With the'
    exception for few cases 'concerning questions of "moral authority " , the
    large majority of professors dismissed have been depr,ived of the possibi-
    lity of working any.longer in theirfield on account of politic&l opinions
     unfavourable to the government.:.
                                                        .:
                              ,,                                                 
      *Many',of these men, appreciated far beyond the ,Greekr'frontiers for their
        : : ,moral authority'and scientific competence,  are now without me&ns of
     port.
    .:' ;    Some have been invited officially as associate,professorts by sup-


    universities and other scientific institutions in France, and Germany.
     But information coming in from re&ble sources confirms the' fact that
    passports to leave,Greece are being refused in all casesddespite repeated
    requests on' theirbehalf-from various Embassies in,Athens,,and despite
     I' ,,' permanent, abpointments 'to'university posts'dating three and four months
  .,: 'back;' "      .":. ,,                         .           ,, ,,
                                                                           

        ,If ',   ,.                                                  j           ::    1   . ':,
   " 'Under:.these conditions:we believe thatone cannot accept to' take part
    in a discussion of scientific problems"wheh political prisoners`( inpluding
    a large nomber of intellectuals and students) are being tortured in Camps
x    or deported to islands far less attractive tha those of Spetsai and Crete.

The participation of scientists at meetings like the summers schools of
Spetsai Lagonissi or Chania, is bound to take a political.meaning since
ministers of the military junta have for the past two years marked every
international scientific meeting held in Greece with their official ere-
sence and political speeches.  They appeal to congress members to sp,eak
when back in their own countries " of the respect of Freedom and Dewcraty
they found in Greece )1 and maintain that fi the national Revolutionark
Govennment is striving to establish a Moral  and Spiritual Civilization".
In a word, they try to use every scientific meeting for their political
purposes and propaganda.


  It seems obvious to us that the 400 signatories to the appeal not to
participate  in scientific meetings held in Greece are actuated by the
motives other  than respect for freedom and democracy and are not victims
of " propaganda "that distorts the truth about the present Greek regime,

  We are convinced that if you agreed to go to the meetings' ) it was
because you were not fullyaware of the true situation in Greece and especial-
ly in the universities.

  We hope that impartial reconsideration of the situation will lead you
to adopt an .attitude similar to that of the many American, Belgian, British,
Danish Dutch, French , Swedish and Swiss professors and scientists who'are
refusing to go to Greece as things stand at the present time,

EUROPEAN  COMMITTEE OF SCIENTISTS FOR DEMOCRACY   IN GREECE

Prof. H.Clauser - Institut de Biochimie - Orsay

Prof. B.Ephrussi - Centre de G6netique Mol6cula.ire - Gif  - sur - Yvette
Prof, R.A, Ferrell - University of.Maryland, Physique des Solides - Orsay
Prof, M.Fetizon - Chimie organique - Orsay
M.J.R. Garel - Institut de Biochimie - Orsay
Prof. PiG. de Gennes - Physique des Solides - Orsay
Prof. J.M. Ghuysen - Baat&&logie ,- Universite de Lisge
Prof, F.Gros - Institut de Biologie Moleculaire - Paris
Dr.P,Joliot - Institut de Biologie Physic0 Chimique - Paris
Prof. A.Kastler - Ecole Normale Superieure - Paris (Prix Nobel)
Prof. E.Ledere'r - Institut de Chimie d.es Substances Naturelles -Gif-sur Yvette
Dr.V,Luzzati '- Centre de G&$tique moleculaire - Gif-sur- Yvette
Prof. A.Lwoff - Institut de Recherche sur le canier -Villeju,if (Prix Nobel)
Dr. J.Nunez - Laboratoire de Biochimie Compar+e-Coll&ge de FrAntie - Paris
Prof. G.Our'isson -'Institut de Chimie - Strasbourg
Prof. J.C.Pecker - Chaire d'Astrophysique - College de France - Paris
Dr. H.de Robichon-Szulmajster - Laboratoire d'Enzymologie - Gifisur-Yvette
Prof, L,Ruzicka - Organ,Chem, Labor. Techn. Hochschule 9 Ziirich (Prix Nobel)
Prof. R.Thomas - Laboratoire de Ggnetique - Universitg libre de Bruxelles
                                                                          
Prof. J,Tonnelat,- Laboratoire de Biologie Physic0 Chimique - Orsay
Prof. E.Wolff - Laboratoire d'Embryologie experimentales -Nogent-sur-Marne.