Title:

Letter from Henry R. V. Arnstein to Francis Crick

Creator:

Arnstein, Henry R. V.

Recipient:

Crick, Francis, 1916-2004

Date:

20 November 1969

Description:

In the wake of a military coup in Greece in April 1967 and the subsequent dismissal of many academics from university positions, scientists debated whether to boycott scientific meetings in Greece as a sign of protest, and more broadly their political responsibilities for maintaining freedom of research and civil liberties. Unlike many of his European colleagues, Crick was not in favor of a boycott because it did not extend to other oppressive regimes and would further undermine the position of Greek scientists. In his letter Arnstein similarly took the position that if conferences continued to serve the purpose of furthering scientific exchange, they should be held even in countries that restrict scientists' freedom of movement. The debate focused on the annual summer school for molecular biologists held on the Greek island of Spetsai.

Original Repository:

The Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine. Francis Harry Compton Crick Papers

Location:

Box: 8. Folder: PP/CRI/D/1/1/1

Rights:

Reproduced with permission of Henry R. V. Arnstein.

Genre:

Letters (correspondence)

Subject:

Government and Political Systems

Format:

Text

Extent:

2 pages

Relation:

Letter from Francis Crick to Henry R. V. Arnstein, 1969
Circular letter from the European Committee of Scientists for Democracy in Greece, 1969

Language:

English

Legacy Source Citation:

Original Repository. Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine. Francis Harry Compton Crick Papers. 11646. URL. http://archives.wellcome.ac.uk/

Legacy ID:

SCBBNX

NLM ID:

101584582X204

Profiles Collection:

The Francis Crick Papers

Shareable Link:

https://profiles.nlm.nih.gov/101584582X204

Story Section:

Embryology and the Organization of DNA in Higher Organisms, 1966-1976