Benjamin Levich told Western newsmen today that he has been ordered to Lefortovo prison tomorrow afternoon for interrogation by the KGB, the Soviet secret police, according to reports reaching here from Moscow. He told reporters that he had no idea why the KGB wants to question him. Levich, a 60-year-old physicist, was barred by the Soviet authorities from attending an international conference held in his honor at Oxford University last week.
The conference, attended by 100 scientists from 14 countries, including 20 Nobel Laureates, cabled the Soviet Academy of Science urging that Levich be allowed to attend. The conference covered physical chemistry and hydrodynamics, a field that has been greatly influenced by Levich’s work. Levich applied for an emigration visa five years ago but was repeatedly turned down.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.