322 HISTORY OF Til! COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



addresses, sounding the alarm on behalf of people programs instead of 

 manned space spectaculars. Before a largely unfriendly audience at a 

 luncheon meeting of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astro- 

 nautics, held at Fort McNair in Washington, D.C. on April 1, 1971, 

 Karth was at his best: 



The people of our country, the taxpayers, find it difficult to see the relevance of 

 the space program to the whole sweep of our economic and social problems. And 

 because some refuse to say it at all, I'm persuaded to say it more often. Our citizens 

 are clamoring for a reordering of our priorities, and unfortunately space doesn't seem 

 very high on their list. We may not like the facts, but that is no excuse for being 

 so stupid that we can't recognize them.* * * 



I have urged for the past six years that we place equally strong emphasis upon 

 those activities in space that will result in economic payoff for our people. Specifically, 

 I have urged an increased effort in applications satellite systems -communications, 

 meteorology, earth resources survey, navigation and air traffic control. 



Karth pointed out that too much of NASA's effort was devoted to 

 applying space benefits to help individual consumers, like the develop- 

 ment of teflon frying pans. He observed: 



Unfortunately, it seems to me that our most pressing problems today are not 

 those of individuals, so much as they are those of communities and institutions. 

 While the individual's standard of living has improved, the quality of life has 

 deteriorated. The American housewife now has teflon frying pans, but we stand by 

 helplessly while Lake Erie dies (and) the people of Los Angeles suffocate in 

 smog. * * * Somehow we need to address the problems of mass transportation, of 

 pollution of our atmosphere and our fresh water resources, of urban renewal. 



Karth's subcommittee strongly supported his personal emphasis 

 on space applications and people-oriented benefits. In 1971, the follow- 

 ing members served on the Subcommittee on Space Science and 

 Applications: 



Democrats Republicans 



Joseph E. Karth, Minnesota, Chairman Charles A. Mosher, Ohio 



Thomas N. Downing, Virginia Larry Winn, Jr., Kansas 



James W. Symington, Missouri Robert Price, Texas 



John F. Seiberling, Jr., Ohio Barry M. Gold water, Jr., California 



Morgan F. Murphy, Illinois 



In his farewell address on the NASA authorization bill in 1971 — 

 the last subcommittee report he handled before going over to the Ways 

 and Means Committee — Karth on June 3, 1971 told the House once 

 again that every year since the mid-1960's, his committee had empha- 

 sized the need for greater priority treatment of space applications. He 

 added: 



I would like to take this opportunity to recommend to the new Administrator 

 of NASA, Dr. James Fletcher, that serious consideration be given to reorganizing 



