From B A HENMAN
Richard Clogg has written a thoughtful piece on Elena Ceausescu’s visit
to the United Kingdom in 1978 (‘Let us now praise a famous woman’, Forum,
20 January).
The Royal Institute of Chemistry, in 1978, was asked to consider an
application from Elena Ceausescu for fellowship of the institute. The application
was supported by a long list of papers, published in her name over a period
from 1961 to 1972.
The application was treated, as was any other application, by submission
to a committee which, on the evidence presented, agreed that she merited
admission to fellowship of the institute. The fellowship was presented at
a ceremony no grander than would have been arranged for any other spouse
of a head of state.
When our disciplinary machinery has been followed through, it takes
a resolution, based on a vote of the society’s council, to remove a person’s
name from the register of members. The machinery was invoked on Wednesday
20 December (two days before Nicolae Ceausescu’s honorary knighthood was
removed) but was overtaken by events.
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There is much talk at the moment about the extent of Elena Ceausescu’s
academic qualifications. There was no talk in 1978, nor has there been (to
our ears) until recently. If, in the final analysis, it turns out that the
qualifications were deficient, we have to say that hindsight always provides
us – individuals or institutions – with 20/20 vision.
B. A. Henman Registrar Royal Society of Chemistry London W1
