The agency charged with the duty of recommending release of information 

 from military classification should be a continuing one well grounded in 

 science and technology, which can couple advice to the military with an 

 ability to obtain prompt decisions. With that in mind you have recently 

 proposed the establishment within the National Academy of Sciences of a 

 board to control the release and promote publication of certain scientific in- 

 formation. Its standing at the apex of the scientific world together with its 

 contributions to the present war qualify the Academy in a unique manner to 

 perform this service. The proposed board with its joint Army, Navy, and 

 civilian membership should be able to act promptly and intelligently, with 

 full appreciation of both military and civilian implications of its decisions. 

 It should provide the speed which is essential if delay is not to nullify a large 

 part of the benefit sought by the release of newly discovered scientific infor- 

 mation. Obviously the board should be adequately manned to act promptly. 



3. Agreement with Our Allies on Release of Information 



Some of the information which should be released is possessed jointly by 

 our allies and ourselves. Release in this country should be coordinated with 

 release in other countries where the restriction has been jointly imposed in 

 both. A central agency such as the proposed board should be able to handle 

 this normally time-consuming but important matter with a minimum loss 

 of time and danger of international friction. 



4. Stimulation of Publication 



It is obvious that the contributions to scientific knowledge "made during 

 the war effort" fall into many categories. Much of this information is now 

 being made public through various media as, for example, most of the results 

 of medical research. This report is directed to those contributions to scientific 

 knowledge which are prevented from being "made known to the world" 

 because of Government restrictions. Most of this information resulted from 

 work in which some Government agency was interested and is now under 

 security classification. The two chief obstacles to prompt publication are: 

 (I) security regulations; (2) the policy of cognizant agencies in releasing 

 investigators to publish freely. A courageous policy on the part of adminis- 

 trative officers of Government agencies in assisting and stimulating prompt 

 publication by Government scientists as well as private contractors and their 

 employees as soon as security regulations are relaxed will cover point two. 

 The first point, we believe, can be covered by the creation of the board to 

 control the release and promote the publication of certain scientific informa- 

 tion. 



The object is to get the scientific results of war research written by out- 

 standing experts, completelv available, especially to young scientists, at as low 

 a cost to them as is consistent with doing the job well. 



In connection with scientific war research being performed under contracts 

 of governmental agencies, which has necessitated bringing together large 

 groups of scientists, the most advantageous time for preparation of manu- 

 scripts may well be during the final months of the contract, while the scien- 



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