Novosibirsk 630090

                                                                  Computing center

                                                                   March 27, 1978

To Academician V.K. Kabulov

Tashkent

                                                             Dear Vasil Kabulovich!

According to your request I talked over in Moscow the issue of the symposium. I got support from
Mathematical Department and Siberian Branch, and Guri Ivanovich, now in the capacity of vice-
president, wrote to your president a letter recommending including the symposium in UzSSR AS
plan. My draft, which I’m including, was slightly edited by the adviser; in particular, by her own
will she randomly indicated the symposium location as Tashkent.

The idea of the symposium meets a great approval and the membership promises to be first-rate.
Below I am listing only members of Academies and world-famous scientists:

I confirm general consent to see you as the chairman of the symposium. It is advisable to make a
Program Committee international, with D. Knuth and A.P. Ershov as co-chairmans.

It would be very important to invite all foreigners as UzSSR AS guests. For the Academy it involves
only ruble expenses but at the same time it will substantially heighten the chances of invitation
acceptance.

Everybody wishes the symposium location to be nearest to antiquity and to Al-Khorezmi birthplace.
Urgench, Khiva and Bukhara are mentioned. Samarkand and Tashkent are considered as essentially
less interesting places. On the other hand, of course, there remain important requirements of comfort
and availability of technical facilities providing handy functioning.

It seems that a ten-day work is most expedient. The schedule looks roughly like following:

1^st day. Arrival to Moscow with overnight stay.

2^nd day. Flight to Tashkent with possible transfer to the symposium location.

3^rd day. Acclimatization and preparation.

4^th day. Working day.

5^th day. Working day.

6^th and 7^th day. A sightseeing trip to historical places.

8^th day. Working day.

9^th day. Working day.

10^th day. Return to Tashkent and night flight to Moscow.

11^th day. Leaving the USSR.

Before summer it is important to determine location, to solve the question of inviting foreign
scientists as guests, and to specify the body of Program Committee. By autumn Prof. Knuth in
contact with us will prepare the list of potential foreign participants.

In October, i.e. a year before the symposium date, it will be already necessary to distribute formal
invitations and to determine the conference format.

Relying greatly on your prompt answer,

Yours          A.Ershov