SCIENCE SERVING THE NATION — DUBRIDGE 179 



can achieve its national aims and ideals in the face of opposition 

 from potential enemies ? In short, what are the ways in which science 

 promotes national security ? 



Even this simple question does not have a simple answer. The 

 roots of national strength extend deeply into the national pattern of 

 living, into the Nation's industrial, social, educational, and economic 

 systems. We cannot trace all these roots. But we may select a few 

 essential items that are necessary to answer our question. 



In the first place, we now understand that both a strong military 

 technology and a strong industrial technology must rest upon a solid 

 base of fundamental science. This is a fairly obvious remark, of 

 course, since all technology grows out of discoveries in basic science. 

 But it immediately follows that the Government should encourage the 

 building of a strong science. There are several specific reasons for 

 this : 



1. New knowledge is essential to future progress. 



2. The corps of scientists engaged in basic science are among the 

 most able and imaginative in the country. Their number should in- 

 crease, not only because of the scientific advances they will produce 

 but because they stand as a "ready reserve" available to accelerate 

 the development of military technology when emergencies arise. 



3. Basic science carried on in universities is the sole source of edu- 

 cation of future scientists and technologists. Those wellsprings of 

 future talent must be maintained and enlarged. 



4. Basic science in relevant fields has an important place in 

 laboratories of applied science. It improves the intellectual tone, it 

 stimulates the imagination, satisfies the curiosity, helps attract new 

 scientists, and, of course, fills in essential gaps in knowledge. 



How do we stand in this area of basic science ? Are we as a nation 

 doing all right ? 



I am convinced that the answer is in the negative. But I am also 

 aware that great progress has been made. There have been important 

 forwards steps during the postwar years. For example : 



1. The military services, realizing the importance of scientists to 

 wartime technology, aided mightily after the war in financing a re- 

 habilitation of university research. The funds made available for 

 equipment, for services, and for graduate student support stimulated 

 a spectacular postwar development in university science laboratories. 

 We will forever owe a debt, particularly to the Office of Naval 

 Research, for what was done in this respect. The Atomic Energy 

 Commission and the Public Health Service have also made important 

 contributions. They have shown that government can encourage 

 university science without the necessity of unwise political interfer- 

 ence, provided, of course, the universities themselves remain alert. 



