111. Implementation of the Berkner Report: 1951-1965 



The Berkner Report of June 1950 on Science and Foreign Relations 

 recommended creation of a science staff in the Department of State, 

 headed by a scientific adviser who would be Special Assistant to the 

 Under Secretar>^ He would also be supported by science staffs in 

 certain overseas missions, integrated into the Foreign Service. Ac- 

 cordingly, the following February, Dr. Joseph B. Koepfii, of California 

 Institute of Technology and at one time Dr. Evans' deputy at the 

 London science mission (1947-1948), was appointed Science Adviser 

 and Special Assistant. Dr. J. W. Joyce, who served as chairman of the 

 Department committee that had helped Berkner prepare the report, 

 was made his deputy. A number of other scientists were invited to 

 serve on Dr. Koepfli's staff in Washington and others were assigned to 

 embassies abroad.^^ 



As Dr. Koepfli and his associates were getting underway with their 

 new assignment, an inventory of the State Department's numerous 

 scientific interests included the folloAAdng items : 



— Fundmg of U.S. memberships in 14 international organiza 

 tions with a scientific content; 



— Support for international conferences (140 in 1950) ; 

 — Participation in programs for international exchanges of 

 scientific personnel (23,179 persons in 1950) and assistance to 

 non-governmental organizations for this purpose ; 

 — Assistance in exchanges of scientific publications; 

 — Preparation and distribution abroad of scientific newsletters 

 (circulation 78,000) ; 



— Distribution abroad of scientific films in the Department's 

 collection; and 



— Science programs on the Voice of America. 

 Somewhat optimistically, this report in 1951 observed. "As the world's 

 outstanding user of science, the United States not only profits from 

 but positively depends upon active international cooperation in 

 science. Such cooperation is a national interest of highest magnitude, a 

 major concern of foreign policy, a continuing preoccupation of the 

 Department of State." ^^ 



BrieJ Tenure of the Office 



During its brief period of operation, this first "Office of the Science 

 Adviser" does not appear to have scored any noteworthy successes. 

 Presumably, most of the 30 months of Dr. Koepfli's tenure were con- 

 sumed in organization and recruitment. While it may also have pur- 

 veyed to other units and agencies "advice and assistance on foreign 

 relations questions in which scientific factors were intert\vined," the 

 need for this service does not seem to have become insatiable. 



3i Under this original program "more than 14 American scientists served at various posts abroad for an 

 average period of 15 months as members of the U.S. Foreign Service Reserve. ..." (U.S. Department of 

 State, The Science Adviser of the Department of State, Department and Foreign Series, no. 9/, FubUcalion 

 no. 7056, November 1960, which supplied some of the background of this part of the study.) 



32 Gerhard .T. Drechsler, "The U.S. State Department and World Science," Bulletin of the Atomic Scien- 

 tists 7, No. 4 (April 1951), pp. 121-122. 



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