Soviet Metallurgy through the Eyes of American Metallurgists: Second Half of the 1950s

Abstract: The article discusses a small stage of development of metallurgical science and technology in the Soviet Union, namely, the history of establishing scientific contacts between American and Soviet metallurgical scientists in the second half of the 1950s. By the mid-1950s, the successful recovery of the Soviet economy after WWII ended with a scientific and technological breakthrough in the field of nuclear and rocket and space technologies. This significantly strengthened the political and humanitarian authority of the USSR in the eyes of the world community, making the country attractive for scientific and technical cooperation. The successes of the Soviet nuclear and rocket science would not have been possible without high achievements in the basic economic sectors, such as metallurgy. The United States and its Western European allies developed an understanding of the potential of limited scientific and technical cooperation with the USSR and the unproductive policy of its isolation. Establishing scientific and business contacts with Soviet metallurgical enterprises, research institutes and academic institutions and forced Americans to reconsider their own achievements in the industry. © 2022, Allerton Press, Inc.