ABSTRACT
In the tense Cold War years, security considerations usually precluded scientific collaboration between the Soviets and the West. One exception was pipelines, around which—as I witnessed as a participant—extensive collaboration occurred. The Russians needed our superior technology to correct their leaky Siberian pipelines, while the North American scientists and engineers benefited from Soviet research on permafrost dynamics essential for Arctic technical design. Privately this marriage of convenience overrode the usual Cold War barriers because of the economic benefits to the Soviet economy and the bottom line of Exxon. Collaboration could privately occur where there were mutual benefits.
