42 THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION divisional committees. He thought they might not have been adequately exploited by the NSF as a strong coupling agent between the scientific community and the Foundation. In his opinion, the future of these committees will be a significant issue.45 On the whole, the testimony appeared to indicate a useful function for the divisional committees, one sufficiently important to support Dr. Haworth's expressed intention to form new advisory committees. The subcommittee assumes that the Director will give effect to his remarks concerning Reorganization Plan No. 5. 2. Leadership in science policy In section 3(a)(1) of the National Science Foundation Act of 1950, Congress made it a responsibility of the Foundation "* * * to develop and encourage the pursuit of a national policy for the promotion of basic research and education in the sciences." As seen in chapter II, this responsibility was changed by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1962 which transferred a vaguely defined part of this responsibility to the Director of the newly established Office of Science and Technology. Specifically, the plan transferred to OST So much of the functions conferred upon the Foundation by Although Dr. Hornig and Dr. Haworth were careful in their testimony to say how this responsibility for a national policy for basic research and science education was divided between their offices, the division of this responsibility in practice still seems unclear. There appears to be no consistent pattern of leadership for formulation of Federal science policy. Leadership can come from any direction within the Federal organization for science and technology and does not seem to be strongly identified with the Foundation. The NSF appears more to react to evolving changes in the interests of the scientific community than to take the initiative to influence and shape such changes to national needs. As the one agency within the Federal establishment concerned with the health of national resources for science and technology, and the means of fostering science and scientific capabilities, it would appear that the Foundation's voice in these areas should be carefully considered. The Foundation has the potential capability to influence the ways in which other Federal departments and agencies employ science and technology in furtherance of their mission objectives while at the same time strengthening the scientific and technological resources of the Nation. With this in mind, it is useful to briefly examine the Federal superstructure for science and technology. (a) The Federal superstructure for science and technology The appearance of a superstructure for Federal science and technology as an aid to Presidential decisionmaking has been fairly recent. From the end of World War II to just before the Soviet Union launched 45 Ibid., letter of Dr. Handler, question 2, p. 1418. THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 43 Sputnik in 1957, the only formally constituted bodies to advise the President on science were the National Academy of Sciences and a relatively obscure Science Advisory Committee in the old Office of Defense Mobilization. Eight years later one finds that the President has acquired four new sources of advice and assistance for science and technology, in addition to the National Academy of Sciences. The testimony received by the subcommittee contains much information and insight into the organization, functions and interrelations of these sources. For the purposes of this discussion, the following features should be noted: (1) The President's Special Assistant for Science and Technology.Shortly after Sputnik, President Eisenhower created the top-level post of Presidential Science Adviser and assigned to it the task of taking stock of the Nation's scientific and technical resources, and the devising of ways to bolster and mobilize these resources to meet this new Soviet competition. The science adviser serves in a confidential capacity to the President and because of executive privilege, cannot be summoned to appear before the Congress. (2) The President's Science Advisory Committee.-While the old Science Advisory Committee of the Office of Defense Mobilization did not report directly to the President, it did have the function of advising him, through the Director of the ODM, about scientific research and development for national defense. In December 1957, President Eisenhower transferred this Science Advisory Committee from the ODM to his office, making it directly advisory to the President and enlarging its membership-which increased its stature, power and appeal to the scientific community. The President's Science Advisory Committee is composed of his Special Assistant for Science and Technology and others of the Nation's most distinguished scientists and engineers, drawn from industry, the universities and other parts of the scientific and technological community. Its Chairman is elected by the Committee and, by custom, is the President's Special Assistant for Science and Technology.46 The President appoints its members for terms of 4 years. PSAC meets about 2 days a month and is concerned with major issues bearing upon the country's scien tific and technological condition. It undertakes studies both on its own initiative and in response to requests from the President. The PSAC is aided in its work by many panels of experts drawn from the scientific and engineering communities. Individual PSAC members contribute substantially of their time as panel members. Although these bring together many leaders of science and technology to advise the Government, the panels are temporary and have no responsibility for following through on implementation of their recommendations. (3) The Federal Council for Science and Technology was created by Executive Order 10807 of March 13, 1959. Its function is to promote closer cooperation among Federal agencies and coordination for the total Federal effort in science and technology. Composed of top policy-level representatives from each of the Federal agencies involved in science and technology, it provides a two-way link between these policy level officials and the President and his office. It also has served to tighten White House control over scientific programs and policies of the Federal agencies, establishing a new path for Presidential For current membership of PSAC see Hearings, p. 103. 44 THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION influence in parallel to the path already established through the Bureau of the Budget. The subcommittee notes that some confusion persists concerning the combining of the chairmanship of the Federal Council, the directorship of the OST and personal scientific advice to the President in one individual. It is not clear to what extent Dr. Hornig serving in these multiple capacities is free to answer congressional questions. The subcommittee notes that he chairs the Federal Council not as the Director of OST-who is accessible to the Congress— but as science adviser to the President, who serves in a privileged position. Selected scientific and technological activities common to a number of agencies are coordinated through a series of interagency committees, including those on Oceanography, Atmospheric Sciences, Materials Research and Development, High Energy Physics, Water Resources Research, Behavioral Science, Patent Policy, Long Range Planning, International Programs, Science Information, Scientific and Technical Personnel, and a standing committee concerned with the operations of Federal laboratories. The Council Secretariat is provided by the Office of Science and Technology. (4) The Office of Science and Technology completed the present framework of the Federal superstructure for science. It was established, with congressional accedence, by President Kennedy's Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1962. The Director of OST is generally responsible for assisting the President in coordinating Federal science and technology functions. In essence, the OST did not represent so much a new scientific function for the Executive Office of the President as it did a formalizing of already existing functions. The establishing of the OST may also be viewed as a response of the administration to congressional unrest over the lack of coordination and central control of the Government's expanding research and development. It provided Congress with a single spokesman to answer questions about the administration's plans and policies for Federal science and technology, a function that the previous Science Adviser could not fully perform because of his confidential relationship to the President. This separation of the role of the President's Special Assistant for Science and Technology from the planning and coordinating and evaluating functions of the Director of the OST appears to adequately preserve executive privilege while assuring Congress an open avenue of communication to the superstructure. However, as noted above, some possible conflict may still remain as long as the Director of OST simultaneously holds the posts of Special Assistant to the President, Chairman of PSAC, and Chairman of the Federal Council. It is not entirely clear to the subcommittee what standards can be used to draw the line between information and opinion which is properly privileged, and that which should be freely available to the Congress for public debate. This uncertainty might be reduced by separating the confidential functions of the adviser from the executive functions of the Director of the OST. By assigning these posts to different men, the adviser and PSAC could concentrate upon advice to the President, especially on subjects that have to be kept secret for the national security, while the OST and the FCST could concentrate upon public policy for science and technology. THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 45 (b) Relation of the National Science Foundation to the super structure To illustrate some of the relations of the Foundation to the Federal superstructure for science, Dr. Haworth presented the chart shown. in figure 3. Note the arrow leading up from the NSF which indicates that the NSF by statute has a special role over and above other agencies with respect to collecting information and suggesting policy. According to Dr. Haworth: "This simply means that NSF feeds back to the executive offices, the FCST, et cetera, the results of its studies and the suggestions that it has." 47 The most important relations of the Foundation to the superstructure appear to be those with the Office of Science and Technology. Dr. Hornig described these at some length and identified three special relationships: 48 Collection of basic data: The Foundation has a central responsibility to provide basic data on science resources, on expenditures for research and development, and on scientific manpower. The data acquisition and analysis capabilities of the Foundation are utilized by the OST as a basis for the development of national science policies. Special assignments: The Foundation can serve either as an executive agent or a delegated agent of the OST in taking the lead in certain assignments of broad importance. For example, the OST requested the Foundation to develop an interagency assessment of and reaction 47 Hearings, p. 15. 48 Hearings, p. 112. 46 THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION to the recent report of the National Academy of Sciences on needs in ground based astronomy." Advice on science policy: According to Dr. Hornig, the Foundation is a "particularly valuable source of advice" 50 to the OST on science policies that merit consideration for Government-wide application. Dr. Hornig also identified another relationship between the Foundation and the OST, similar to that of the Executive Office with other departments and agencies. The OST reviews and examines the programs of the Foundation in the same way it looks at those of other agencies. Because of the limited OST staff, this examination is highly selective and concentrates on items of major importance. It is concerned mainly with the directions in which the programs are tending, the opportunities that may be neglected, and major budgetary issues. The National Science Foundation also participates as a full member of the Federal Council in working out with other agencies common policies for subjects such as administration of research and development, and the level and distribution of activities for those fields of research that cut across agency programs. Dr. Hornig called attention to major future problems which will call for stepped up efforts to develop new and improved approaches to the planning of Government programs for the support of academic research and for relating this research to the large science programs supporting particular national objectives. This, in turn, will call for even closer cooperation between the OST and the NSF 51 Looking at NSF relations with the President's Science Advisory Committee, these seem characterized by a trend, which might not be healthy for either. Although PSAC's and OST's interests extend across the full range of Federal scientific and technological activities, since Reorganization Plan No. 2 they have focused considerable time and energy upon resources for science-which is a province and strength of the Foundation. As a result, PSAC and OST have not been able, on a continuing basis, to look into many important aspects of the application of science and technology to national purposes and to urgent problems of our technological civilization. Meanwhile, the Foundation's capability to pursue a national policy for basic research and science education appears noticeably inhibited. For example, during the past summer, PSAC began a study of the criteria for distribution of Federal funds for research at universities to see how these funds might reinforce scientific excellence of existing institutions, increase the number of first rate institutions, and broaden the base of scientific research and education. The NSF is closely related to this study for it is providing the necessary staff support. Yet the only participation of the National Science Board, which is part of the Foundation, seems to have been the personal membership on the PSAC panel of four Board members. It would seem that a subject relating so directly to the state of our basic research might well receive the attention of the entire Board as a formally constituted, continuing part of the Government. The PSAC reports dealing with scientific information and manpower are also examples of subjects relevant to national science resources that could have been examined by the Board. 49 It should be noted that the Foundation is usually responsive to recommendations from the National Academy of Sciences without formal endorsement of them the OST or the Federal Council. 50 Hearings, p. 112. 1 Hearings, p. 116. |