949 



consists of annual awards to the Office of the Foreign Secretary, 

 National Academy of Sciences, (NAS) to support NAS activities 

 including : 



(1) travel expenses associated with meetings of the U.S. 

 national committees for member unions of the International 

 Council of Scientific Unions ; 



(2) funds to convene meetings of the Advisory Committee on 

 International Organizations and Programs ; 



(3) support for the Academy staff involved in the activities of 

 the national committees ; 



(4) funds for the payment of the U.S. dues to the ICSU and its 

 member unions ; 



(5) awards for U.S. scientists to participate in decisionmaking 

 meetings of international organizations, both governmental and 

 nongovernmental ; 



(6) activities to ensure that proposals from the U.S. scientific 

 community receive proper attention at all levels of appro- 

 priate international scientific organizations; and 



(7) activities to ensure dissemination to American scientists- 

 of information about the activities of international organiza- 

 tions.^^ 



NSF's use of inconsistent categories in the collection and reporting 

 of annual data makes it difficult to achieve an accurate and balanced 

 overview of the Foundation's funding of this program.^** Using a 

 broad grouping categorized as "Scientific Liaison with International 

 Scientific Organizations and Programs/' the Foundation reports 

 approximately $400,000 in expenditures for this program for each 

 of the fiscal years 1966, 1967 and 1968; $173,535 for 1970; $400,000 

 for 1971; and $500,000 estunated for 1972.2*9 $700,000 was requested 

 for the fiscal year 1974.^^'' 



Activities are administered by the Section on International Pro- 

 grams, NAS. According to Mr. Edward Rowan, section head, the 

 meetings are especially valuable because they provide for informal 

 communications between scientists; they serve as trade markets for 

 professionals wishing to switch jobs, and they also "serve to provide 

 information on scientific activities in other countries." ^^ A useful 

 byproduct is their contribution to "peace and understanding," 

 since many initiatives for international scientific collaborative 

 projects originate at these meetings. However, Rowan also stresses 



^^ U.S., Congress, Hou?e, Committee on Science and Astronautics, Subcommittee on Science, Research, 

 and Development, 1979 National Science Foundation Authorization: Hearings, 92d Cong., 1st sess., 1973, 

 p. 346; U.S., Congress, House, Committee on Science and Astronautics, Subcommittee on Science, Research, 

 and Development, 1971 National Science Foundation Authorization: Hearings, 91st Cong., 2d sess., 1970, pp. 

 210-211. 



2<8 The Foundation awards the Academy several grants or contracts each year for participation in this 

 program. Authorizations/appropriations hearings have not presented consistently categorized data. In 

 order to find amounts awarded, it is necessary to pick out and collate awards listed in several places in the 

 grants and awards books, a difficult task since the Foundation until 1971 reported support for NAS activities 

 under a niunber of different program categories. 



-« The Foundation has utilized several different categories and labels to describe this program since 

 1960. Data for 1966, 1967, and 1968. r.re from: Inventory of Federal Programs . . ., op. cit.; Additional data 

 are from: U.S., Congress, House, Committee on Appropriations. Independent Offices Appropriations, FY 

 1968: Hearings, 90th Cong. 1st sess., 1967, pp. 180, 197, 227, and 421; U.S., Congress, House, Committee on 

 Appropriations, Independent Offices Appropriations, FY 1969: Hearings, 90th Cong. 2d sess., 1968, pp. 1203, 

 1203-1204; U.S., Congress, House, Committee on Appropriations, Independent Offices Appropriations, 

 FY 1970: Hearings, 91st Cong. 1st sess., 1969, pp. 462-465; U.S., Congress, Hiouse, Committee on Appropria- 

 tions, Independent Offices Appropriatiom, FY 1971: Hearings, 91st Cong. 2d sess., 1970, pp. 836-837; and" 

 U.S., Congress, House, Committee on Science and Astronautics, Subcommittee on Science, Research,.. 

 and Development: 197i National Science Foundation Authorization: Hearings, op. cit., pp. 346-247. 



MO i97j^ National Science Foundation Authorization: Hearinga, op. cit., p. 319. 



»' Interview, March 16, 1971. 



