SCIENCE, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT, 1963-69 149 



The challenge posed by the Vice President was contained in his 

 peroration : 



We can either rebuild and make a new world, or destroy the old one, and I suggest 

 that we build on the foundations that we have, but build anew and direct our great 

 knowledge, our great fund of knowledge in science and technology with a spiritual 

 dedication that all of it has but one purpose: the emancipation of mankind from his 

 fear; from his hunger; from his despair; and to imbue him with faith, confidence, 

 optimism, love, and hope. I believe that is what we mean when we put together 

 public policy and science. 



STANDARD REFERENCE DATA LEGISLATION 



The careful textbooks measure 



Let all who build beware 

 The load, the shock, the pressure 



Materials can bear 

 So, when the buckled girder 



Lets down the grinding span 

 The blame for loss, or murder 

 Is laid upon the man. 



— Rudyard Kipling, "Hymn of Breaking Strain." 



On July 13, 1966, Chairman Miller introduced H.R. 15638 to 

 provide a comprehensive standard reference data system within the 

 Department of Commerce to be administered by the National Bureau of 

 Standards. The Miller bill was referred to the Daddario subcommittee, 

 which held hearings June 28-30, 1966. 



The bill in essence sought to make data of known reliability con- 

 veniently available for use by scientists and engineers. The aim was 

 to reduce the time-consuming necessity of searching the available 

 literature and attempting to evaluate data where the searcher might 

 not be expert; for example, measurements describing the properties 

 and ingredients of different types of materials, and the rates of chemical 

 reactions. The bill provided for an integrated, comprehensive sys- 

 tem to replace the work being done in a piecemeal, uncoordinated, 

 and less efficient manner by individual members of the scientific and 

 technical community. 



The Daddario subcommittee and staff did its usually thorough job 

 of hearing the affected Government agencies and private industry, plus 

 soliciting the opinions of the General Accounting Office, Copyright 

 Office, and a number of individuals and business and professional 

 groups. By the time the legislation was ready for the House, the skids 

 were very well greased, and the bill went through the House of Repre- 

 sentatives easily on August 15, 1966. Since the Senate failed to act in 



