1330 



performing; the inliouse training function for the Foreign Service. In 

 19G4, the Institute had underway an ambitious program in science and 

 technology, but it has gradually dwindled away. Another eleuK nt witli 

 some promise is the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Here, too, a 

 small elfort in science policy analysis was tcntativel}' begun and then 

 abandoned in a time of departmental retrenchment. 



The many other agencies involved in international technical pro- 

 grams will be discussed onh' as they relate to the Department of 

 State. No comparisons will be drawn between the U.S. Depart iiient of 

 State and comparable institutions of other governments, although 

 this would probably be an instructive exercise. 



The approach taken here will be to describe first the evolution of the 

 present structure of State Department science and technology activi- 

 ties and then to consider the functioning, the strengths aral weaknesses, 

 and the future prospects, of these activities. Inferences can sometimes 

 be (h'aw 11 as to possibilities of legislative action to eliminate weaknesses 

 and exploit opportunities. 



Some Necessary Definitions of Terms 



Up to this point in the series the i)idividual papers have dealt es- 

 sentially with mission-oi'iented subjects. Except for the International 

 Geophysical Year (IGY) study,'' the papers have emphasized issues 

 of api)lied research and tecluiology. These helds proihice most of the 

 isr,ucs that require diplomatic resolution. However, tlie present study 

 proposes to deal with the entire spectrum of science and teclmology. 

 Since one possible question concerns the desirability of organizing 

 separately tlie in-litutions for diplomatic handling of different parts 

 of the science-technology spectrum, the terms should be defined that 

 mark off the divisions of the specti"um.° 



For purpcj^es of this study, then, Science is defined as any systematic 

 activitx' to discover facts and lelationship in some discrete category of 

 the physical world, liesearcli is an indeterminate term because it can 

 apply equally to science and teclmology, or to the manij)ulation of 

 literature. In technical fields, basic research is "scientific" w idle applied 

 research is associated with "tlevelopment" as a kind of technological 

 activit}'. 



Put simply, basic resf\arcli or "science" seeks knowledge; applied 

 research and development seek useful options; and technolcgy puts 

 these options to productive uses. 



Another way of explaining these terms in the present context is that 

 science ascertains what is theoretically possible; teclmology deter- 

 mines what is feasible and economically practicable; and politics rules 

 on what is publicly acceptable. For convenience, the terms "scienti- 

 fic" and "technological" are sometimes lumped together under the 

 more general term "technical" in this stud3\ 



Teclmology transfer is a process b\^ which a given technique (i.e., 

 technolog3') is substantiall>" moved from one set of users to another. 



■'• U.S. ronprr=«, linns'", f'ommit'op on Foreign Affairs, T}te Poli'ical Legacy of the JhlfTnati'mal eico- 

 phijsiyil Yenr, in the sori-";. Science, Technology, and American Diploniacy. prepared for tne Subooiniiiitlee 

 on National Security I'oiicy und Scieutiric Develuiiments. by Harold Builis. Analyst in Scie'ic' a;id Tech- 

 nology. Science Policy Research Division, Congressional Research Service, Library of Con- 

 gress. See vol. I, pp. 293-360. 



' For a ninie i xtendod treatment of the leniis used in this section see: U.S. Conf^ress, TIon.se, Committee 

 on Science and Astronautics, bcitnce Policy: A Working Glossary, 93d Cousi., 1st sess., l'J73, 'J'J pp. (.Commii- 

 tee print.) 



