BASIC RESEARCH IN GOVERNMENT LABORATORIES 



use the work of contractors without a capability for making 

 creative decisions and judgments leading to the advancement 

 of the defense mission. 



I could make a number of auxiliary remarks about the rela- 

 tion of basic research to the retention of highly qualified scien- 

 tific personnel, but I believe it is sufficient to emphasize this 

 relation and to state that it follows that basic research must be 

 a planned-for part of the programs of all federal laboratories. 

 For this reason, it is encouraging that policy statements of the 

 President's Science Advisory Committee and of the National 

 Science Foundation have noted the direct importance of basic 

 research to government laboratories. Nothing would so damage 

 in-house government research programs as the removal of basic 

 research from its work. No scientist of quality would remain 

 where the frontiers of science are closed to him. 



The third point about basic research in government lab- 

 oratories is somewhat elusive. Let me restate this point. Basic 

 research in government identifies the government with an im- 

 plicit responsibility of government to society. The responsibility 

 is that of encouraging the advancement of man. I do not want 

 to belabor this philosophical point, but I do say that government 

 is in essence a formal organization created to improve man's 

 condition. This may be considered a "mission" of government. 

 Basic research is a search for understanding which helps to 

 improve man's condition. The government, therefore, should 

 encourage basic research in general, and it seems most appro- 

 priate that a portion of government's in-house laboratory activ- 

 ities should contribute to this fundamental responsibility. Is 

 this stretching things too far? 



Let me put it another way. There are important returns 

 from basic research programs in government laboratories, re- 

 turns for the laboratory personnel and for the community at 

 large. It seems to me that government science programs must 



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