Happening in Antarctica : Albert P. Crary, Entrepreneur?

Albert Crary has diverse biographical information about him published on the web. He is well known for his long time involvement in the NSF polar program (USAP) in Washington DC, and for being an adventurer. There is a dark side to his personal history, however. His linkage to Columbia University has been somewhat obscured, his affiliation with Russians, his flying weather balloons over Area 51, and his involvement in nuclear test monitoring. I wonder why?

Albert Crary was a poor farm boy, the second oldest of seven children. He had a knack for physics, however, and left the farm behind. He worked with Maurice Ewing at Columbia, as they developed methods for remote sensing in the ocean. He became involved with nuclear test monitoring, and helped to develop the equipment and methods based on seismological principles and methods. He shared this information with the Soviets, as well as his personal knowledge of US tests. In project MOGUL, one must ask why they were flying balloons over Area 51, when anywhere else would have served their purpose. Why did they run away from their crashed balloon acting like they knew nothing about it? The Air Force assumed it had been done by aliens, that is, foreign people spying on Area 51. Surely they were correct in assuming it was a spy operation, and we all know that Crary was a participant.

His association with spies and Soviets led to his personal ascendancy in the Antarctic program. His adventuring on the ice caused him to gain popularity with politicos that gave him a prominent position in the Polar program. He boasted of being the first person to visit both Poles. Part of his attraction may have been his background in remote sensing - the plausible ability to track Soviet activities from afar, based on technology similar to that used in monitoring nuclear blasts, and tracking Soviet submarines.

His spying activity kept the Soviets abreast of all US activities in Antarctica, and his participation on the ice helped to oust ardent supporters of Admiral Byrd, who they denounced as an alcoholic. Was this the triumph of civility over the militarization of Antarctica? No, it was the loss of US political interest in Antarctica to "Bolsheviks", who strongly discouraged any American interest in Antarctica. The continent was lost.

Under the guise of Environmentalism, Russian supporters helped create the Madrid Protocol that prohibits all mining exploration and development, and protects all flora and fauna until the year 2041, when the Treaty can be renegotiated. Crary helped to forge this sensitivity at NSF as deputy director and then director of the Division of Environmental Science at NSF. As the 80,000 empty 55 gallon barrels left at Wilkes Station would attest as well as all the other NSF garbage (see Happening in Antarctica : Garbage Treatment Improvements), one might well conclude environmentalism was never Crary's actual strong suit. As far as I know, no one ever gave Crary credit for his environmental sensitivity. While NSF keeps the US in compliance, it has overlooked all the violations of other countries, including member countries. Of course, Moscow has been a large violator. One estimate is that two quadrants of Antarctica are virtually sterile because of Russian fishing. I was there as Greenpeace landed on the Antarctic shore; NSF giving them an icy welcome. Only Greenpeace seems to be actually concerned about the Antarctic environment. Perhaps we should make contributions so Greenpeace can launch a spy satellite to keep tabs on what is actually taking place. So the Madrid Protocol actually calls on US interests to stay out of Antarctica until 2041, while other countries (recently including China) make inventories and developmental plans. In some cases countries may be carrying out those plans as I write this.

Bert Crary and Charlie Bentley were pals. Both worked at Columbia, and in polar programs, received support from NSF, and had a close association with the Russians. I shall write another segment on Bentley, shortly. Let it suffice for the present, to relate the story about Crary's death. Bentley had made several trips to the Soviet Union, one that included his wife, under the guise of preparing a book with a Soviet scientist. Shortly thereafter Crary died, and Bentley claimed to have been at his deathbed when Crary offered him 38 million dollars for the Antarctic Program. Twenty-seven of these went for building the Crary Science Center, and 11 went to pay for Bentley's
"research" program at the University of Wisconsin, an institution of fading socialist glory, which seems to have resurrected itself at Berkeley these days. That was very generous of Crary. But, where in the hell did he get that money?

Crary was the second oldest son of a farm family in upstate New York. He whole career consisted of going to Antarctica, and working at NSF in Washington DC. That is no way to accumulate that kind of money, is it? As Charlie Wrangel said, "If I lose an election, I have to look for a job."

There are three possibilities. One is that the money came to Crary from ITT, a science support contract company that served the Antarctic program for many years with no competitive bids. After he left NSF, Art Brown of ITT might have given him a few bucks, thanking him for his support. Another possibility is that Soviets gave the money to Bentley, and they used Crary as a proxy (something the Soviets did frequently and still might today). Why would the Soviets do this? To pay Bentley for his support over the years and to keep the program as it was - just a dunsel program that would not stimulate any American interest. Of course obtaining the money this way, to influence an American program, would have been treason. Too bad Reagan never got far into examining NSF, its policies, and personnel. The other possibility would be a combination of both of these.

Today USAP is no different than it was back then. Foreign influence is unabated. The contract company is Raytheon instead of ITT. Only some of the names and faces have changed.