The World Federation of Scientific Workers
(WFSW) is an international federation of scientific
associations.
It was a Cold War-era Communist front.
The group was composed of scientists who supported
communism.
The federation opposed nuclear tests conducted
by the United States.
== History ==
The WFSW was founded at a conference in London
held on 20–21 July 1946 at the initiative
of the British Association of Scientific Workers.
The original conference was attended by 18
organizations, representing 14 countries.The
WFSW was accused of toeing the Soviet line
during the Cold War.
At the time of the Tito-Stalin split the Yugoslav
affiliate was expelled from the Federation.
During the Korean War it supported the Communist
Chinese forces.
The Federation protested against restrictions
on the free exchange of scientific information
or the movement of scientists by the withholding
of visas or passports by Western countries,
but never by Communist ones.
Likewise, the WFSW spoke out against American,
British and French nuclear testing, but not
against Soviet nuclear testing.
During the Cuban missile crisis the World
Federation of Scientific Workers mobilized
its members to send telegrams to John F. Kennedy
and the United Nations condemning the quarantine
of Cuba, however they never mentioned the
presence of nuclear missiles on the island,
nor was any protest sent to Nikita Khrushchev.
After a series of Soviet nuclear tests in
the early 1960s, the president of the Federation
wished to protest, and threatened to resign
from the organization, but was overruled.
That same year the British and French affiliates
also threatened to leave if statements kept
on being issued without their approval.
The WFSW toned down its rhetoric in order
to keeps its two most important Western members.During
the Vietnam War the Federation condemned American
aggression and accused the US of breaking
international agreements and using biological
and chemical weapons.
The 1966 Executive Council meeting in East
Berlin adopted a "Scientists Statement on
Vietnam" signed by 13 scientists - including
9 Nobel Prize winners - calling for financial
aid to for laboratories, scientific equipment
and scientific books for Hanoi University.The
WFSW was also affected by the Sino-Soviet
split.
In 1963 a "Peking center of the World Federation
of Scientific Workers" was founded.
While it claimed to be an Asian regional branch
of the Federation, it was in fact a rival
to it.
The Peking WFSW held an "International Scientific
Symposium" in 1964 and a "Summer Symposium
on Physics" on 23–31 July 1966 which was
held exclusively for physicists from Africa,
Asia, Oceania and Latin America and drew participants
from 33 countries.
In September 1966 the Executive Council at
Varna established a rival committee for scientific
organizations in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
== Organization ==
The Associations highest body is the general
assemble which meets every two to three years.
Between meetings of the assembly the organization
is run by the executive council and in between
meeting of that body by the bureau.
The Executive Council consisted of 27 members
of whom 17 were elected on an individual basis
at the general assembly, and ten by regional
organizations.
The WFSW bureau consisted of the president,
vice-presidents, treasurer, the Executive
Councils' chairman and vice-chairmen, the
chairmen of the editorial board (who also
had to be a member of the Council) and the
head of the regional centers.
Further officials - the secretary general,
assistant secretary general and five honorary
assistant secretaries - are appointed and
participate in the work of the bureau with
a voice, but no vote.
The Executive Council also elects a 16-member
editorial board.The headquarters of the organization
have historically been in London.
In 1966 it was located at 40 Goodge Street
London, W1, while the secretary general operated
out of an office at 10 rue Vaquelin, Paris
5.
The headquarters have been moved to France
and are now at 265 av. de Paris, 93000 Montreuil-sous-Bois,
France - Métro Porte de Montreuil.The WFSW
tried to set up regional centers and hold
regional meetings.
The first regional meeting was at New Delhi
in 1955, followed by Prague in 1956, Paris
in 1957 and Cambridge, England in 1961.
By 1968 only two regional centers had been
established - at New Dehlin and at Cairo.
=== Presidents ===
Presidents of the WFSW have included:
1946-1957: Frédéric Joliot-Curie, France
(who was also president of the World Peace
Council at the same time)
1958-1968: Cecil Powell, United Kingdom
1969-1979: Eric Burhop, United Kingdom
1980-1992: Jean-Marie Legay, France
1992-1996: Con Russel, United Kingdom
1996: Masayasu Hazegawa, Japan
1997-2008: André Jaeglé, France
2009–present: Jean-Paul Lainé, France
=== 
General Assemblies ===
The WFSW has held the following assemblies:
London, 20–21 July 1946
Dobříš, Czechoslovakia September 1948
Paris and Prague, April 1951
Budapest, September 1953
East Berlin, September 1955Beginning with
the Helsinki assembly in 1957, each conference
was held in conjunction with a scientific
symposium on a particular subject.
Helsinki, 1957 "The training of students in
science and technology"
Warsaw, 1959 "Science and the development
of the economy and welfare of mankind"
Moscow, 1962 "Higher scientific and technological
evolution"
Budapest, 1965 "Problems of the advancement
of science in the developing countries and
the role of scientific cooperation"
Dakar, Senegal 1992
Moscow & Nijni-Novgorod 2013
Dakar, Senegal 2017
== Members ==
The Federation included affiliated organizations
and individual corresponding members.
In 1966, there were affiliated organization
in 23 countries and corresponding members
in 24 countries in which there were no affiliated
groups.Current affiliated organizations include:
Algeria - Conseil National des Enseignants
du Supérieur
Algeria - Fédération nationale des enseignants
du supérieur, de la recherche et de l’éducation
Algeria - Syndicat National des Chercheurs
Permanents
Algeria - Syndicat national des enseignants
universitaires
Argentina - Federación de Sindicatos de Docentes
Universitarios de America del Sur
Belarus - Trade Union of Scientific Workers
of the Belarusian Academy of Science
China - China Association for Science and
Technology
Cuba - Sindicato Nacional de Trabajadores
de la Ciencia
Egypt - General Trade Union of Education,
Science and Research - Egyptian Trade Union
Federation
France - Syndicat national des chercheurs
scientifiques
France - Syndicat national de l’enseignement
supérieur
Portugal - Associação de Bolseiros de Investigação
Cientifica
Portugal - Federação Nacional dos Professores
Portugal - Organizaçao dos Trabalhadores
Cientificos
Russia - Trade Union of Scientific Workers
of the Russian Academy of Science
Senegal - Syndicat autonome des enseignants
du Sénégal
Senegal - Syndicat unique et démocratique
des enseignants du Sénégal
Spain - Asociación del Personal Investigador
del CSIC
USA - United States Federation of Scientists
and ScholarsOther organizations the WFSW relationships
with include
Japan - Japan Scientists Association
Morocco - Syndicat national de l' enseignement
supérieur
Italy - Fédération des Travaill eurs de
la Connaissance
Romania - Academia Oamenilor de Stiintax
Tunisia - Fédération Générale de l’Ensei
gnement Supérieur et de la Recherche Scientifique
Tunisia - Syndicat nat. des maîtres de conférence
et profs. de l'enseignement supérieur
== Publications ==
=== 
Periodicals ===
The WFSW published a magazine, Scientific
World, in English, French, German, Spanish,
Russian and Czech.
Scientific World began as a twice yearly publication
in 1957, became a quarterly in 1959 and ceased
publication in 1993.
The WFSW also published an irregular Bulletin
in English, French, German and Russian covering
organizational news and was only available
to members.
=== "Science and Mankind" ===
Beginning in 1957 the WFSW published a series
of pamphlets called "Science and Mankind":
Josué de Castro Hunger and food London, World
Federation of Scientific Workers 1958 "Science
and Mankind" #1
Ludwik Rajchman Science and health London
World Federation of Scientific Workers 1961
"Science and Mankind" #2
John Bernal Science for a developing world;
An account of a symposium organized by the
World Federation of Scientific workers on
'Science and the development of the economy
and welfare of mankind,' Warsaw, September
1959.
London World Federation of Scientific Workers
1962
Training for tomorrow.
Extracts from the International Symposium
on Higher Scientific and Technological Education,
Moscow 1962 London World Federation of Scientific
Workers 1964
=== Other publications ===
The social responsibility of scientists: report
of meeting held in Peking, on april 3, 1956
to celebrate the 10.
anniversary of the founding of the World Federation
of Scientific Workers Peking : All-China Federation
of Scientific Societies, 1956
Unmeasured hazards; an analysis of the effects
of tests of atomic and thermonuclear weapons.
London: World Federation of Scientific Workers,
1956 (published in English, French, Russian,
Chinese, German, and Japanese)
International Symposium on the Relations Between
Science and Technology, 22–26 September
Bratislava, Czechoslovakia, [World Federation
of Scientific Workers] 1969
Kurt Baudischl ABC weapons, disarmament and
the responsibility of scientists: report on
an International Conference of the World Federation
of Scientific Workers, Berlin (GDR), 21st-23rd
November, 1971.
Berlin] Published by the Executive Council
of Gerverkschaft Wissenschaft for the World
Federation of Scientific Workers 1971
Chemical weapons must be banned! an analysis
of the level of development reached in the
field of chemical warfare agents, the implications
of their use and the possibilities of achieving
an unconditional ban on all such agents London
World Federation of Scientific Workers 1974
Ending the arms race, the role of the scientist:
with a glossary of terms commonly used in
relation to the arms control and disarmament
discussions and important statements, resolutions
and other documents concerning the disarmament
problem London: World Federation of Scientific
Workers, 1977
Proceedings of the Symposium on Science, Technology
and Development, Algiers, 9-12 Sept. 1978
London: World Federation of Scientific Workers,
1979
International Symposium on Science, Technology,
and Development, March 1987: selected papers
New Delhi: N.P.
Gupta, Organising Secretary, 1989
=== "Science in the Service of Peace" ===
In addition to its print publications, the
WFSW also produced a program "Science in the
service of peace" in conjunction with the
International Radio and Television Organisation
which was broadcast from Eastern Europe.
== See also ==
Christian Peace Conference
International Association of Democratic Lawyers
International Federation of Resistance Fighters
– Association of Anti-Fascists
International Organization of Journalists
International Union of Students
Women's International Democratic Federation
World Federation of Democratic Youth
World Federation of Trade Unions
