The difficult decisions that must be made in these circumstances 

 involve perplexing choices concerning priorities and the allocation of 

 our limited national resources. What should the Nation's priorities be, 

 and how should our resources be divided among them? What propor- 

 tion of the Nation's resources should be devoted to research? And of 

 these resources, what is the proper mix of attention to problems of to- 

 day versus those of tomorrow, and to the immediate causes of our 

 problems versus the more fundamental ones? 



These decisions will influence and shape the future of our Na- 

 tion. They can be made only by the President and the Congress. 



This report was prepared by the National Science Board in the 

 hope that it would serve as a resource to the Executive Branch and 

 the Congress for enhancing the contribution of science and 

 technology in improving the quality of life in this country and in the 

 world. 



Respectfully yours, 



The Honorable H. E. Carter 



The President of the United States 



IV 



