Part One 



INTRODUCTION 



Scientific Progress Is Essential 



We all know how much the new drug, penicillin, has meant to our griev- 

 ously wounded men on the grim battlefronts of this war— the countless lives 

 it has saved — the incalculable suffering which its use has prevented. Science 

 and the great practical genius of this Nation made this achievement possible. 



Some of us know the vital role which radar has played in bringing the 

 Allied Nations to victory over Nazi Germany and in driving the Japanese 

 steadilv back from their island bastions. Again it was painstaking scientific 

 research over manv years that made radar possible. 



What we often forget are the millions of pay envelopes on a peacetime 

 Saturdav night which are filled because new products and new industries 

 have provided jobs for countless Americans. Science made that possible, too. 



In 1939 millions of people were emploved in industries which did not even 

 exist at the close of the last war — radio, air conditioning, rayon and other 

 synthetic fibers, and plastics are examples of the products of these industries. 

 But these things do not mark the end of progress — they are but the begin- 

 ning if we make full use of our scientific resources. New manufacturing 

 industries can be started and many older industries greatly strengthened and 

 expanded if we continue to studv nature's laws and apply new knowledge 

 to practical purposes. 



Great advances in agriculture are also based upon scientific research. Plants 

 which are more resistant to disease and are adapted to short growing seasons, 

 the pre\'ention and cure of livestock diseases, the control of our insect enemies, 

 better fertilizers, and improved agricultural practices, all stem from painstak- 

 ing scientific research. 



Advances in science when put to practical use mean more jobs, higher 

 wages, shorter hours, more abundant crops, more leisure for recreation, for 

 studv, for learning how to live without the deadening drudgery whi'ch has 

 been the burden of the common man for ages past. Ad\'ances in science wdll 

 also bring higher standards of living, will lead to the pre\ention or cure of 

 diseases, will promote conser\'ation of our limited national resources, and will 

 assure means of defense against aggression. But to achieve these objectives — 

 to secure a high level of emplovment, to maintain a position of world lead- 

 ership — the flow of new scientific knowledge must be both continuous and 

 substantial. 



Our population increased from 75 million to 130 million between 1900 



10 



