CIA Intelligence Information Report: Speculative Paper by N.S. Kardashev and A. Sakharov on Charged Mass in Space, Conference on Origins of Life, Armenia, 1971

Source file: CIA-UAP-008_SPECULATIVE_PAPER_BY_N_KARDASHEV_AND_A_SAKHAROV.pdf Originating agency: Central Intelligence Agency, Directorate of Intelligence Report number: OO-B-321/07709-72 Classification: CONFIDENTIAL (Approved for Release 2026) Date of distribution: 10 April 1972 Date of information: 6-8 September 1971 Place and date of acquisition: Yerevan, 6-8 September 1971 Page count: 2 (all read) VIRIN: 260508-O-D0360-1085 PURSUE Release: 3

Summary

This two-page CONFIDENTIAL Intelligence Information Report, report number OO-B-321/07709-72, was distributed on 10 April 1972 by the CIA Directorate of Intelligence. The source is identified as a US citizen; the report consists of "edited abstracts from a letter received from a reliable colleague who attended the Yerevan Conference." The document is explicitly marked "THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION."

The report covers the Conference on the Origins of Life held in Yerevan, Armenia, SSR, 6-8 September 1971, focusing on a speculative but physically interesting paper presented by N.S. Kardashev (Institute for Space Research, Moscow) and co-authored by Andrei D. Sakharov. The document also notes the generally low scientific quality of most other Soviet papers and includes a notable aside on Soviet institutional attitudes toward the "flying saucer committee." A more redacted version has been available on the CIA's public website.

Research Article

Why this document appears in the UAP collection

This report's inclusion in the CIA's UAP release is somewhat indirect. The primary scientific content — Kardashev and Sakharov's theoretical physics paper on charged mass collapse and black holes — has no direct connection to UAP sightings. The document's relevance lies in two supplementary passages: first, a Soviet researcher's dismissive characterization of the USSR's official flying saucer investigation committee; and second, the CIA's apparent interest in tracking Soviet scientific discourse for any intersection with anomalous aerial phenomena and advanced physics. The CIA's Directorate of Intelligence was monitoring Soviet scientific conferences for insights into the USSR's research priorities and its treatment of fringe or frontier topics.

The Kardashev-Sakharov paper: charged mass and space-time

The core content of the report concerns a paper presented by N.S. Kardashev at the Conference on the Origins of Life in Yerevan, Armenia, 6-8 September 1971. Kardashev, of the Institute for Space Research in Moscow, was described by the US attendee as "very much like his superior and former teacher at the Institute, I.S. Shklovskiy, in his approach to scientific problems. He is not afraid to speculate in his effort to find a solution."

Kardashev's co-author was Andrei D. Sakharov, described in the report as "the internationally famous theoretical physicist." In 1971, Sakharov was already known in the West for both his foundational work on the Soviet hydrogen bomb and his increasingly public role as a dissident and human rights advocate. His co-authorship of a paper on general relativity and charged mass collapse reflects his continued engagement with fundamental theoretical physics despite growing political pressures.

The Kardashev-Sakharov paper concerned what happens when a charged mass or body collapses in space. Kardashev presented the theoretical framework: if a mass were not charged, it "would just collapse past the point of gravitational singularity and be gone forever. In other words, the mass would close in on itself and have no more contact with the outside world." However, they speculated that a charged mass would behave differently: "the mass would be able to bounce. It would collapse but bounce back out. However, the mass will come back into a different part of space time."

After the presentation, Kardashev elaborated privately to a US attendee that Sakharov was primarily interested in the study because "it indicates that the structure of space may be much more complicated than is presently thought." Kardashev's own interest was in the astrophysical implications, "provided the basic physics of the phenomenon is correct." The US attendee assessed the paper as "a little fantastic" and noted the authors "had taken off in a rather wild way," but concluded that the paper "was grounded in good and sound physics."

This work is now understood in modern physics terms as relating to Reissner-Nordstrom black holes (charged black holes) and the theoretical possibility of traversable inner horizons — ideas that remain active in theoretical physics discussions, including in the context of exotic propulsion and spacetime topology. Kardashev is now more widely known for the Kardashev Scale (1964), his framework for classifying civilizations by energy use, which became foundational in SETI research.

Soviet institutional attitudes: the "flying saucer committee"

Section 5 of the report provides the most direct UAP-relevant content. The US attendee noted that, in general, "the scientific level of most of the Soviet papers at this Conference was not very high." One unnamed Soviet scientist "gave a very naive paper on the detectability of planets." Another Soviet attendee, described as "a member of a committee the USSR has established to investigate unusual phenomena, in other words, flying saucers, gave a serious talk which was actually very humorous."

The unnamed committee member's approach was described as: "Well, of course, we know there isn't anything to this alleged phenomenon (flying saucers), but on the other hand---." The report continues: "During this talk Shklovskiy and other Soviets joked and laughed and obviously did not take the speaker's remarks seriously. Shklovskiy remarked later to a US attendee that the 'flying saucer committee' consists of many politicians, theorists, historians and similar type people. It has little if any scientific talent."

This passage is significant for the archive: it documents that the Soviet Union maintained an official committee to investigate reports of flying saucers as of 1971, and that even prominent Soviet scientists (Shklovskiy) regarded it with open derision. It also suggests that the CIA was tracking the institutional structure of Soviet flying saucer investigation as part of its broader monitoring of Soviet scientific institutions.

Other notable scientists at the conference

The report identifies several other prominent Soviet scientists present. Vitaly L. Ginzburg, described as "one of the leading astronomers in the USSR," gave a talk on the basis of physical theory — "that is, the identification and comparison of fundamental assumptions in physics." The US attendee assessed Ginzburg as having "a first rate mind and is sounder in his physics knowledge than Shklovskiy." Ginzburg's assessment of the conference's value was pragmatic: "Well, if it helps to build up support for the Soviet researchers to get new astronomical equipment, then certainly the Conference makes sense."

The report also mentions L.I. Matveyenko, Institute for Cosmic Research, described as a Communist Party member and political expert. The US attendee recalled an incident in spring 1971 when Kardashev visited Academician Lev Artsimovich, "secretary of the Academy's Department of General Physics and Astronomy." Matveyenko was described as "almost cringing in Artsimovich's presence whereas Kardashev was cool and confident in his business-like discussions with the senior Academician."

Key People

Locations

Incidents

Notable Quotes

"Kardashev is very much like his superior and former teacher at the Institute, I S Shklovskiy, in his approach to scientific problems. He is not afraid to speculate in his effort to find a solution." — page 1

"They stated that then the mass would be able to bounce. It would collapse but bounce back out. However, the mass will come back into a different part of space time." — page 1

"Sakharov was mostly interested in this charged mass phenomenon study because it indicates that the structure of space may be much more complicated than is presently thought." — page 1

"Well, of course, we know there isn't anything to this alleged phenomenon (flying saucers), but on the other hand---." — unnamed Soviet flying saucer committee member, page 2

"Shklovskiy remarked later to a US attendee that the 'flying saucer committee' consists of many politicians, theorists, historians and similar type people. It has little if any scientific talent." — page 2

"Well, if it helps to build up support for the Soviet researchers to get new astronomical equipment, then certainly the Conference makes sense." — Vitaly L. Ginzburg, page 2