MISCELLANEOUS BILLS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1946 UNITED STATES SENATE, Washington, D. C. The committee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a. m., in room 212, Senate Office Building, Senator David I. Walsh (chairman) presiding. Present: Senators Walsh (chairman), Andrews, and Willis. H. R. 5911 The CHAIRMAN. The committee will come to order. The first bill the committee will consider is Docket No. 203, H. R. 5911, a bill to establish an office of naval research in the Department of the Navy; to plan, foster, and encourage scientific research, and so forth; and to establish a naval research advisory committee, and so forth. (H. R. 5911 is as follows:) [H. R. 5911, 79th Cong., 2d Sess.] AN ACT To establish an Office of Naval Research in the Department of the Navy; to plan, foster, and encourage scientific research in recognition of its paramount importance as related to the maintenance of future naval power, and the preservation of national security; to provide within the Department of the Navy a single office, which, by contract and otherwise, shall be able to obtain, coordinate, and make available to all bureaus and activities of the Department of the Navy, world-wide scientific information and the necessary services for conducting specialized and imaginative research; to establish a Naval Research Advisory Committee consisting of persons preeminent in the fields of science and research, to consult with and advise the Chief of such Office in matters pertaining to research Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That there is hereby created and established in the Office of the Secretary of the Navy an Office of Naval Research, which shall be charged with such duties relating to (1) the encouragement, promotion, planning, initiation, coordination, and control of all naval research; (2) the conduct of naval research in augmentation of and in conjunction with the research and development conducted by the respective bureaus and other agencies and offices of the Navy Department; and (3) the supervision, administration, and control of activities within or on behalf of the Department of the Navy relating to patents, inventions, trade-marks, copyrights, royalty payments, and matters connected therewith; as may be prescribed by the Secretary of the Navy. All of the duties of this Office shall be performed under the authority of the Secretary of the Navy and its orders shall be considered as emanating from him and shall have full force and effect as such. SEC. 2. At the head of the Office of Naval Research there shall be a Chief of Naval Research, appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, for a term of not to exceed three years, from among officers not below the grade of commander on the active list of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Research shall, in addition, report to the Chief of Naval Operations, and shall have the same rank and shall be entitled to the same pay, allowances, and privileges of retirement as are now or may hereafter be prescribed by or in pursuance of law for chiefs of bureaus in the Navy Department. SEC. 3. An officer on the active list of the Navy may be detailed as Assistant Chief of Naval Research, and such officer shall receive the highest pay of his grade and in case of the death, resignation, absence, or sickness of the Chief of Naval Research, shall, until otherwise directed by the President as provided in Revised Statutes, section 179 (U. S. C., title 5, sec. 6), perform the duties of such chief until his successor is appointed or such absence or sickness shall cease. SEC. 4. The Secretary of the Navy is hereby authorized to establish a Naval Research Advisory Committee, which shall consist of not exceeding fifteen persons to be appointed by the Secretary from those persons in civilian life who are preeminent in the fields of science, research, and development work. One member of such committee will be from the field of medicine. The members of such committee shall serve for such term or terms as the Secretary may specify, and shall meet at such times as may be specified by the Secretary to consult with and advise the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chief of the Office of Naval Research. Each member of such committee shall be entitled to compensation in the amount of $50 for each day or part of a day he shall be in attendance at any regularly called meeting of the committee, together with reimbursement for all travel expenses incident to such attendance: Provided, That nothing contained in sections 41, 109, and 113 of the Criminal Code (U. S. C., title 18, secs. 93, 198, and 203); in Revised Statutes, section 190 (U. S. C., title 5, sec. 99) in section 19 (e) of the Contract Settlement Act of 1944 (Public Law 395, Seventy-eighth Congress); or in any other provision of Federal law imposing restrictions, requirements, or penalties in relation to the employment of persons, the performance of services, or the payment or receipt of compensation in connection with any claim proceeding, or matter involving the United States, shall apply to such persons solely by reason of their appointment to and membership on such committee. SEC. 5. There is hereby authorized to be appropriated such amounts as may be necessary for the Office of Naval Research to carry out its functions as provided for herein, including such sums as may be required for administrative expenses, and the conduct of research and development work in Government facilities and under contracts with private individuals, corporations, and educational or scientific institutions. Sufficient information relative to estimates of appropriations for research by the several bureaus and offices shall be furnished to the Chief of the Office of Naval Research to assist him in coordinating the Navy research program and the carrying out of such other duties as outlined in section 1. SEC. 6. Within the limits of available appropriations, the Secretary of the Navy, and, by direction of the Secretary, the Chief of the Office of Naval Research and the chiefs of all bureaus of the Navy Department (acting through and under the Chief of Naval Research), may enter into contracts, or amendments or modifications of contracts, for services and materials necessary for the making and securing of reports, tests, models, apparatus, and for the conducting of research, without performance or other bonds, and without regard to section 3709 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 41, sec. 5), section 3718 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 34, sec. 561), section 3719 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 34, sec. 562), section 3720 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 34, sec. 563), section 3722 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 34, sec. 572), and may make advance, progress, and other payments with respect to such contracts without regard to the provisions of section 3648 of the Revised Statutes (U. S. C., title 31, sec. 529): Provided, That nothing herein shall be construed to authorize the use of the cost-plus-apercentage-of-cost system of contracting. Passed the House of Representatives May 20, 1946. SOUTH TRIMBLE, Clerk. The CHAIRMAN. I understand from Vice Adm. Richard L. Connolly and Mr. John T. Connor, counsel for the Office of Research and Inventions, that they have considered the amendments proposed. I am advised that those amendments are satisfactory to both of them. I am told that thereby the Navy will be put into a better position to deal with other agencies in the matter of scientific research. Without objection, the bill may be reported. S. 2304 The CHAIRMAN. The committee will now take up Docket No. 218, S. 2304, a bill to provide for the training of officers for the naval service. Mr. Carusi, will you come forward, please, and give your full name. STATEMENT OF EUGENE CARUSI, PRESIDENT, RESERVE OFFICERS OF THE NAVAL SERVICE Mr. CARUSI. My name is Eugene Carusi. I am president of the Reserve Officers of the Naval Service. I have here, Senator, a written statement which I will not bother to read because it is rather long. However, I would like to offer that for the record. The CHAIRMAN. Fine. It will be inserted into the record at this point, Mr. Carusi. (The statement referred to is as follows:) To the Members of the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs: Reserve Officers of the Naval Services wish to express their appreciation for this opportunity to present their views on the pending bill S. 2304, generally referred to as the Holloway Board bill. Reserve Officers of the Naval Services, organized since VJ-day, is an association of Reserve officers of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. Practically all of the members have now returned to civilian life after participating in World War II. The membership represents a cross section of the 350,000 Reserve officers of these three services. As Reserve officers, we are vitally interested in the future of the Navy. Our members have given from two to five of the best years of their lives in the service of the Navy during the most critical period in its history. We supplied about 19 out of every 20 officers in the wartime Navy. We are subject to recall to combat duty. Therefore, we have a vital stake in the Navy. We want to see it continued at the highest peak of efficiency and effectiveness. This means that we are most anxious that all future officers of the Navy receive the best possible type of education and training, so that they will have the highest degree of competency as the future leaders of our Navy. RONS statement on this pending measure was originally approved by the executive committee and has subsequently been approved by our newly elected national council at its recent meeting here in Washington on June 12, 1946, at which representatives of every section of the country were present. RONS basic objection to S. 2304 is that it proposes a plan for the procurement of Regular naval officers, which would result in creating two types of officers in our Regular Navy, one-half graduating from the Naval Academy and the other half graduating from Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at some 52 civilian colleges and universities. We strongly feel that it would be difficult to blend these two separately trained groups of officers into one harmonious and closely knit officers' corps and the probable result would be two classes of Regular naval officers, those who attended the Naval Academy and those who did not, with a continuing cleavage between the two groups. We believe that in the fundamental concept that uniform educational experience should be provided for all Regular naval officers. Every naval officer should, during his undergraduate duties, have a period of education in an NROTC unit so that he may come in close association with his civilian contemporaries. This association will better equip a naval officer to cope with the problem in wartime of absorbing into the fighting forces Reserve officers and men who come direct from civilian life. At the same time, we are convinced that all officers should also have 1 or 2 years' training at the Naval Academy because of the benefits they would derive from the traditions, technical courses of study and background of the Naval Academy. We therefore propose as an alternative plan that all future Regular officers receive 2 or 3 years' education at a civilian college or university as a member of the NROTC, with 2 or 3 years' additional training at the Naval Academy, thus giving all officers the advantage of both types of training and providing for similar education for all Regular officers. There are several possible ways in which this could be done. All officers might go for 1 year to the Academy, then attend a civilian university for 2 or 3 years and then return to the Naval Academy for 1 or 2 years, with his education to be completed in 5 years. Another possibility would be for each officer to take his first 3 years' education as a member of an NROTC unit and then be sent to the Naval Academy for 2 years additional. We would like to further point out that if we have one group of officers benefiting by the traditions and background of the Naval Academy which advantage is denied to the other group we will have two systems of undergraduate education, one more complete than the other. Officers in the NROTC units would feel that those who attended the Naval Academy would have certain advantages in the technical education of Reserve officers. We have great doubt that the best officers who have gone through NROTC would elect to remain in the Navy as a career under this feeling of disadvantage. We must attract to a naval career through the NROTC plan the best brains of our youth for which brains private industry is also competing. A man will not choose a career when he feels he is starting off under a handicap. Respectfully submitted, EUGENE C. CARUSI, President, Reserve Officers of the Naval Services. The CHAIRMAN. Proceed, Mr. Carusi. Mr. CARUSI. That statement which I have just offered this committee has been heard earlier on the House side. The CHAIRMAN. Did you appear on the House side in connection with this, Mr. Carusi? Mr. CARUSI. Yes, sir. That statement merely sums up what I said on the House side. Now, Senator, the essence of our thinking in the RONS, and we have given right important thought to this thing, is this: We are opposed to the whole underlying thing behind the bill, in that we feel that we would have a better officer and thereby a better Navy, if all the officers had had the very same schooling. We feel that the line of cleavage, if it may be so strongly put, or at any rate all the annoyances and afflictions that we went through during the last war, we feel that those things would be almost wholly cut out and you would have your officers, all of them, working more nearly in harmony if they all had been through the very same schooling. Now, there are many ways in which that goal could be worked out. For example, if all the young men were to go, say, for 4 years to some college and then for 2 years at Annapolis; or for perhaps 3 years to some college and then 3 years to Annapolis; or if it were felt more desirable, that order can easily be reversed, you could have them go. 3 years at Annapolis and then 2 years at some college. Our aim only is that when we end up, we will have young ensigns going out into the Navy that have had the very same schooling, all of them. It is our belief that we, then, would not hear of any more friction or annoyances or any of the unfortunate situations that we heard of during the war. That is the main point that we have to make. We think, though, and I have heard elsewhere, that it is urgent that some law be now passed. On that point, we do feel that if there is no time now to make changes or if there are no funds, that this bill which is now before you is, perhaps, the very best answer to the need. You understand, Mr. Chairman, I am up here merely as the spokesman for RONS; that it is our view-our thinking is as I have just stated it. Now, I think, having presented that to you, that is all I have, unless you wish to ask me something, Senator. The CHAIRMAN. Mr. Carusi, could it be said in favor of this measure that it is urgent because of the situation with respect to time? The ROTC collapses on July 1, does it not? Admiral JOHNSON. Yes, sir. |