562 HISTORY OF THI COMM1TTE1 ON SCIENC1 AND TECHNOLOGY 



GROWING PAINS AND PERSONALITY PROni I Ms 



Among the Science Committee members who served on the OTA 

 Board were Teague (Chairman, 1975-76), Mosher (Vice Chairman, 

 1973 74\ Winn (Vice Chairman, 1977-78), Davis, Fsch, Brown and 

 W'vdler. 



The first appointments to the Board were made late in 1972, but 

 the Board did not hold its first meeting until April 10, 1973. Congress 

 did not make funds available for OTA until November 1973. Daddano 

 finally took office as the first Director late in 1973. From the start, 

 OTA was beset with serious growing pains and personality problems. 

 For example, the first Chairman, Senator Kennedy, was accused in a 

 March 27, 1973, Wall Street Journal article of planning to use OTA for 

 his personal political purposes. The article alleged that from the per- 

 spective of President Nixon's White House "OTA bears a peculiar 

 resemblance to a shadow government with Teddy Kennedy for Presi- 

 dent." Mosher commented that he felt the article was on the sensa- 

 tional side and responded "I'm convinced that he is determined that 

 OTA not be a partisan operation." In a 1979 interview, Mosher later 

 suggested that derogatory allegations concerning Senator Kennedy's 

 role in the OTA "had been carefully manufactured and planted as 

 part of the 'dirty tricks operation' of the Nixon White House." But 

 the undertone of criticism persisted. Several House Members, including 

 Teague, frequently grumbled that Kennedy had more of his personal 

 staff, and more OTA staff, working for his own interests than other 

 Board members. Later, a Nixon White House alumnus, William 

 Safire, wrote a biting criticism in a New York Times column, referring 

 to Senator Kennedy and the ' 'Charles River gang. ' ' 



These developments and others within OTA are not the central 

 focus of this history. Yet the operation of OTA did serve to occupy 

 a large amount of the time and effort of the Science Subcommittee, 

 plus Board members like Teague. Problems like getting sufficient funds 

 for OTA, trying to iron out the relations between the Board and the 

 Advisory Council, helping to staff OTA, keeping the scientific com- 

 munity informed and reasonably happy, answering news media in- 

 quiries, firming up relationships with congressional committee chair- 

 men and staff, encouraging proper OTA relationships with the Con- 

 gressional Budget Office as well as the Congressional Research Service 

 and General Accounting Office — these were but a few of the problems 

 made more difficult because of the nature of the beast: OTA was the 

 brainchild of the subcommittee, which had a strong stake in its success. 

 At the same time, the subcommittee like a good parent was committed 

 to the principle of weaning the infant at an early age so OTA could 

 develop the strength and independence to stand on its own feet. 



