During the Cold War, what was the history of inter-block academic relations? Would a lab based in Moscow have access to papers published from say the MIT or Paris in the 60s? How about later, in the 70s or 80s?

by HyalopterousGorillla

I'm also pretty interested in abstract computer science and mathematics (stuff like type theory, category theory or linear logic even though that much later here), but I'd be satisfied with an answer about another field, or a more general answer.

BBlasdel

Some time ago I wrote these three answers to a question about why bacteriophages were only allowed for medicine in former Soviet Union and some satellites but not in the West that might be relevant to you. Broadly, Soviet Bacteriophage researchers had decent access to western publications but extremely limited access to western conferences, which hampered their ability to follow what western researchers were doing. Western researchers, however, were much more hampered by their almost complete lack of awareness of what their Soviet colleagues were up to.