“我们都是陈刚”，百名MIT教授联名信

近日，麻省理工学院机械工程学院华人陈刚教授在美国面临刑事指控，指责其隐瞒与中国的合作关系。对此，麻省理工学院百名教授联名支持陈刚，给校长Rafael发送了声援信，内容如下: 

Dear Rafael,

As colleagues and friends of MIT Professor Gang Chen, we share our dismay and pain over his recent arrest . We all know Gang as a truly beloved teacher, scholar, scientist, mentor, colleague, and world leading academic. We also know him as a loyal and devoted member of the MIT community. Gang has served MIT with distinction over decades through his extraordinary scientific work, his profound contributions to education, and his leadership. His work has contributed significantly to American scientific welfare and economic growth, and to MIT’s worldwide scientific standing. All his global work has been furthering MIT’s mission “to advance knowledge and educate students in science, technology, and other areas of scholarship that will best serve the nation and the world in the 21st century”.

尊敬的Rafael

作为麻省理工学院陈刚教授的同事和朋友，我们共同面对并承担着他最近被捕的沮丧和痛苦。我们都知道他是一位真正受人喜爱的老师、学者、科学家、导师、同事和世界领先的学者。我们也都知道他是麻省理工学院的一名忠诚的奉献者。在过去的几十年里，陈刚博士以他在科研工作，教育成果和领导力上的不凡的表现为麻省理工学院做出了卓越贡献。他所做的工作，对美国的科学事业和经济增长以及麻省理工学院在世界范围内的科学地位做出了重大贡献。他的所做工作都是在推进麻省理工学院的使命：“在科学、技术和其他学术领域，为21世纪的国家和世界提供最好的知识和教育”。

We are standing in solidarity with our colleague, we wish to express our appreciation for the support that MIT leadership is providing to Gang as he prepares to defend himself, and we feel that he deserves every support and commitment from MIT. Moreover, we are writing to encourage that you and MIT continue to stand forthrightly, proudly, and energetically behind Gang Chen.

我们在此声援我们的同事，我们对麻省理工学院领导层在他准备为自己辩护时给予的支持表示由衷的感谢，我们认为他应该得到麻省理工学院毫无保留的支持和承诺。此外，我们写这封信也是为了鼓励大家和麻省理工学院继续坦诚、自豪且全力地站在陈刚身后。

With the information that is publicly available, we are writing to share our concerns on the allegations against Gang, and its implications for open academia and intellectual freedom, which are essential elements of work towards solving the World’s greatest challenges. We are troubled that the complaint against Gang vilifies what would be considered normal academic and research activities, including promoting MIT’s global mission.

如大家所见的公开信息，我们写这封信更是想表达对无故指控陈刚教授这一行为的担忧。这种行为严重影响了开放的学术和知识自由，而这些都是解决世界面临的重大挑战的基本要素。让我们感到不安的是，对陈刚教授的控诉甚至诋毁了正常的学术和研究活动，包括宣传麻省理工学院的全球使命。

We recognize and respect that the United States government has an interest in keeping any country from stealing intellectual property. The signatories to this letter are inventors of record on hundreds of patents, and we recognize the importance of protecting the rights that they confer. We also recognize that the United States Government has expressed concern that China is using illicit means to steal intellectual property. We strongly support efforts to oppose any such activities conducted by any foreign country.

我们承认并尊重美国政府在阻止其他任何国家窃取本国知识产权方面的利益。这封信的签署者是数百项专利的发明者们，我们认识到保护他们所赋予权利的重要性。我们还认识到，美国政府曾经对中国利用非法手段窃取知识产权的行动表示关切。我们坚决支持那些为反对其他国家人员从事此类非法活动所做的努力。

But we are baffled by many elements of the official complaint and the associated public statements against Gang Chen. The criminal complaint against Gang has nothing to do with protecting intellectual property. As published it is deeply flawed and misleading in its assertions. At best, it represents a deep misunderstanding of how research is conducted or funded at a place like MIT. The official complaint is filled with allegations and innuendo based on what are in fact some of the most routine and even innocuous elements of our professional lives. Standard practices such as writing recommendations for our students, so that they might receive fellowships or other prestigious and well-deserved career advancements, are portrayed as some sort of collusion with outside forces in an effort to help them steal American technology. Our routine participation in the evaluation of research proposals seems to be viewed in a similar manner. The fact that we do not report all these activities in our own research proposals is used as a basis for allegations of intentional wrongdoing, when in fact information about these practices is a well known and routine requirement of our job. In many respects, the complaint against Gang Chen is a complaint against all of us, and an affront to any citizen who values science and the scientific enterprise.

但我们对陈刚的官方申诉和相关公开声明中的许多内容感到困惑。对陈刚的刑事指控与保护知识产权无关。已发表的声明中存在严重的缺陷和误导性。这些指控充其量只代表了美国政府对麻省理工学院如何进行科研活动或科研资助的深刻误解。官方的诉讼中充斥着指控和影射，而这些指控和影射实际上是我们职业生活中一些最常规且无害的习惯性做法。其中的一些常规行为，比如为我们的学生写推荐信以帮助他们获得奖学金，或是其他有声望且应得的职业发展，都被描绘成某种协助学生与外部势力勾结起来窃取美国技术的共谋。我们日常参与的对研究计划的评估似乎也被类似地看待。我们没有在自己的研究提案中报告所有这些活动，这一事实被用作指控我们故意进行不当行为的依据，而事实上，有关这些做法的信息是我们工作中众所周知的常规要求。在许多方面，对陈刚的控诉是对我们所有人的控诉，也是对任何重视科学和科学事业的人的侮辱。

While the full extent of the charges against Gang are not known at this time, the criminal complaint as published to justify Gang’s arrest already contains some deeply flawed and misleading statements:

虽然目前尚不清楚美国政府对陈刚的全部指控内容，但在已公布的逮捕陈刚的刑事起诉书中，已经包含了一些具有严重缺陷和误导性的陈述：

Allegation

That since 2013 “CHEN and his research group has received approximately $29 million of foreign funding, including $19 million from the PRC’s Southern University of Science and Technology [SUSTech]”

指控

自2013年以来，“陈刚和他的研究小组已经收到了大约2900万美元的外国资助，包括来自南方科技大学的1900万美元。”

Facts

Our understanding is that, Gang did not receive $29 million, and MIT was the recipient of this money, which benefited the Institute, the research programs of many of its faculty, and its students. Singling him and his research group out as the “sole” recipient is simply wrong. The partnership with SUSTech was approved and overseen by MIT at the highest levels.

事实

我们的理解是，陈刚没有得到那2900万美元，麻省理工学院才是这笔钱的收款方。这笔钱使学院、研究项目收益包括项目中的各位教师和学生。把陈刚和他的研究小组列为“唯一”获奖者是完全错误的。与南方科技大学的合作也是得到麻省理工学院最高层的批准和监督的。

Allegation

That SUSTech operates as a proxy to the Chinese government and thus is not a legitimate organization to collaborate with.

指控

南方科技大学作为中国政府的代理人，不能说是一个合法的合作组织。

Facts

MIT has created a formal Center with SUSTech University, it is MIT who appointed Gang as the Faculty Leader of this Center. The mission of this center is to encourage scientific and educational exchange, which is exactly what Gang has done under its auspices. MIT has similar relationships with universities and other entities from other countries as well as China. Most major universities in the world are public institutions and can be described reasonably as belonging to some arm of their country’s governments. If leaders in the U.S. government believe cooperative research relationships with them are improper, the issue could be addressed legislatively or with executive authority.

事实

麻省理工学院与南方科技大学联合成立一个正式的中心，也正是麻省理工学院任命陈刚作为这个中心的教授责任人。该中心的使命是鼓励科学和教育交流，这正是在陈刚的指导下所做的。麻省理工学院与中国和其他国家大学、机构之间的关系是相似的。世界上大多数主要的大学都隶属公立机构，可以合理地描述为，他们属于国家政府的某些部门。那么如果美国政府的领导人认为与南方科技大学的合作研究关系是不正当的，这个问题可以通过法律或行政权力来解决。

Allegation

That Gang hid his affiliation and collaborations with China in applying and reporting on a DOE grant and in doing so committed “wire fraud,” a federal felony.

指控

陈刚团伙在申请和报告能源部的一项拨款时隐瞒了自己与中国的隶属关系与合作，并因此犯下了“电信欺诈”这一联邦重罪。

Facts

Gang’s scientific collaborations and broader connections to China are a matter of extensive disclosure and public record and anything but hidden from the eyes of the public let alone the sophisticated grant reviewers at the DOE. Gang routinely, consistently and extensively credited these scientific collaborations and funding in his publications available on public databases before and during this grant execution. His CV, available for download on MIT’s website, contains 62 references to China, and his publications cite international funding specifically from the very sources claimed in the complaint to be “hidden”. We emphasize that more generally, the extensive collaborative efforts that Gang is involved in are far from secret.

事实

陈刚教授开展的科研合作及其与中国的联系是广泛且公开的，所有的活动均有迹可循，从未欺瞒大众，更不会对资深的教育部经费审查员有所隐瞒。在这些拨款前和实施中，陈刚常规地、自始至终地、完全地在论文中公开了这些科学合作和资金。这些论文可以在公共数据库中查询。陈刚教授的简历包含62处有关中国的参考条目，可通过麻省理工学院网站下载；而其出版物中特别引用国际资助的部分正是控诉中“隐匿信息”的来源。我们在此强调，陈刚教授所参与的广泛合作绝非秘密。

Allegation

That Gang recommended students for positions in China and for scholarship awards funded by the Chinese Government. Chen served as a reviewer for the National Science Foundation of China and in doing so served the PRC.

指控

由陈刚教授推荐的学生在中国任职，并获得了由中国政府资助的奖学金。陈刚教授曾担任中国国家科学基金会的评审员，并以此为中国服务。

Facts

Recommending students for international positions and awards, as well as reviewing proposals and projects for the scientific community in the US and world-wide, is an essential and routine part of our job as faculty. That this activity would be portrayed as improper, unamerican or as a service to a foreign power is an affront to all of us. Moreover, reviewing scientific proposals and recommending students for positions and awards is a routine activity. There are many innocuous explanations for omissions on forms.

事实

推荐学生获得国际职位、奖项及为美国和全世界的科学界审查提案和项目是我们作为教师的重要工作，如果这项活动被描绘成不正当的、非美的或是为外国势力服务的行为，则是对我们所有人的侮辱。此外，审查科学提案及推荐学生获得职位和奖项是一项常规活动；对于形式上的疏漏无需过多解释。

Allegation

“He knowingly and willfully defrauded (the Taxpayers) out of $19 million in federal grants by exploiting our system to enhance China’s research in nanotechnology.” – Agent Bonavolonta

指控

“他明知故犯，蓄意骗取（纳税人）1900万美元的联邦拨款，利用我们的系统加强中国在纳米技术方面的研究。” -博纳沃隆塔，调查员（Agent Bonavolonta）

Facts

We believe that there is no substantiation provided to this broad and unqualified accusation. Gang’s research at MIT has been funded in part through federal grants over the years. Gang’s research has benefitted American science and technology, MIT’s worldwide scientific standing, and the global scientific community, as well as Gang’s many American and international students. Dozens of scientific publications demonstrate that Gang’s intent and use of research support were consistent with MIT’s core mission of conducting outstanding basic scientific research.

事实

我们认为这种泛泛且毫无根据的指控没有得到任何实证。多年来，陈刚教授在麻省理工学院的研究部分由联邦拨款资助，陈刚教授的研究使美国的科学技术、麻省理工学院的世界科学地位、全球科学界及其众多的美国和国际学生受益。众多科学研究表明，陈刚教授对其研究资助的使用及意图与麻省理工学院开展杰出基础科学研究的核心使命是一致的。

These misleading statements lead us to question the motivation for taking the extreme step of arresting Gang Chen, a dedicated scientist and educator performing his duties at MIT. While the criminal investigation apparently started more than a year ago, we find it noteworthy that U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling commenced the arrest in the last few days of his tenure. Lelling was appointed by President Trump and is a member of the Steering Committee of the DOJ’s “China Initiative”, which has spearheaded the use of “innovative prosecutorial methods” to target academics who are from or have participated in scientific exchange with China. The racial undertones of this campaign are reflected in the following quote from Lelling himself in a recent interview for Science “….unfortunately, a lot of our targets are going to be Han Chinese. If it were the French government targeting U.S. technology, we’d be looking for Frenchmen.” Our concerns are compounded by the number of investigations involving Chinese American scientists and other scientists of Asian and Asian American descent conducted by federal authorities in the United States in recent years.

这些具有误导性的言论让我们质疑采取极端措施逮捕陈刚的动机，陈刚是一位在麻省理工学院履行职责的敬业科学家和教育工作者。显然，刑事调查在一年多前就开始了，但值得注意的是，美国检察官安德鲁-莱林（Andrew Lelling）在其任期的最后几天才采取逮捕措施。莱林由特朗普总统任命，是司法部 “中国倡议 “（“China Initiative”）指导委员会的成员，该委员会率先使用 “创新的起诉方法”，针对来自中国或参与过与中国科学交流的学者。莱林本人最近在接受《科学》杂志采访时的一段话反映了这一运动的种族色彩：”….不幸的是，我们的大量的目标都是汉族人。如果针对美国的技术是法国政府，我们就会找法国人。” 近年来，美国联邦当局进行了大量涉及美籍华人科学家和其他亚裔及亚裔科学家的调查，这加剧了我们的担忧。

Finally, we appreciate your and MIT’s support of Gang. We understand that the Institute is supporting him financially and providing him with the information he needs to defend himself. We also understand that preparations are underway to support Gang’s students and research activities. We stand ready to work with you in whatever way is necessary to help in this difficult time.

最后，我们感谢您和麻省理工学院对陈刚的支持。我们了解到，学院正在向他提供经济上的支持，并向他提供为自己辩护时所需的信息。我们还了解到，对陈刚的学生和研究活动的支持准备工作正在进行中。我们随时准备以任何必要的方式与您合作，在这一困难时期提供帮助。

We also urge that MIT assume leadership in transforming this difficult time to a learning moment, in which the allegations against Gang Chen are discussed in the context of defending academic freedom in this country. In many respects the defense of Gang Chen is the defense of the scientific enterprise that we all hold dear. We are all Gang Chen.

我们也督促麻省理工学院展现出其领导力，将眼前艰难的时期转变成一个学习的机会，来把对陈刚的指控放在捍卫国家学术自由的背景下讨论。在许多方面，为陈刚辩护，就是为我们大家所珍视的科学事业辩护。我们都是陈刚。

Signed by:

~100 MIT faculty

签名：

~100名MIT教授

| 翻译：伊彦茗、张诗晗、王雪未、吴桢、杨文广

| 编辑：张诗晗