Part Four 



Scientific Research in the Government Service 



An analysis of the activities of the 

 various scientific bureaus gives con- 

 vincing proof that the recognized re- 

 sponsibihties of the Government in 

 scientific research are wide indeed. 

 The tvpes of research in u'hich it is 

 directly engaged mav be roughlv 

 classified under three headings: (1) 

 research that is essential to the effec- 

 tive operation of Government depart- 

 ments; (2) research of broad scien- 

 tific and economic importance that 

 has long-range value to the Nation 

 and for which the Federal Govern- 

 ment has assumed a large share of 

 the responsibilitv (particularlv impor- 

 tant has been Government research 

 for industries made up of manv small 

 units); and (3) technological re- 

 search of public concern, which is 

 either too expensive or whose success 

 is too problematical or too far distant 

 to attract the research efforts of com- 

 mercial enterprise. In this category 

 would also be placed research pro- 

 grams, requiring elaborate coordina- 

 tion, which the Government is pecul- 

 iarly well-fitted to direct. 



Much of Government research is 

 of wide scope and long-range char- 

 acter. It is predominantly a team 

 affair, and often involves the corre- 

 lation and integration of a Nation- 

 wide effort, with the Government 

 enlisting the cooperation of investiga- 

 tors from industry and universities 

 throughout the countrv. The devel- 

 opment of the contract mechanism 

 for sponsoring research has been a 

 most important factor in this type of 



cooperation. The planning, organiza- 

 tion and successful administration of 

 such far-reaching research programs 

 often raise problems much more com- 

 plex than those encountered in the 

 operation of laboratories devoted ex- 

 clusively to specific sciences. 



The general problem of improving 

 the conditions under which the Gov- 

 ernment conducts research, and the 

 special problem of coordinating the 

 various scientific activities of the Gov- 

 ernment, has been previously consid- 

 ered by a number of other commit- 

 tees who have reported to the Gon- 

 gress or to the President. In 1884, a 

 committee of the National Academv 

 of Sciences reported to the Gongress 

 on the condition of several of the 

 most important scientific bureaus. 

 This committee recommended the 

 consolidation of the four agencies 

 under consideration into a single De- 

 partment of Science, or, if that were 

 not deemed practical, the creation of 

 an advisorv "permanent commission" 

 charged with coordinating and im- 

 proving the scientific services of the 

 Government. Neither recommenda- 

 tion was acted upon. In 1908, an- 

 other committee of the National 

 Academy recommended a permanent 

 board to advise on the work of the 

 scientific bureaus, the board to con- 

 sist of the heads of the various bu- 

 reaus, four delegates from Congress, 

 and "five to seven eminent men of 

 science not connected with the Gov- 

 ernment service." No action was 

 taken as a result of this report. A 



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