143 



Mr. Mahoney. We're in that class. In some areas we're ahead. 

 In some areas, we're behind. 



Mr. Olver. Okay. But in a general way, we're certainly among 

 that group of six or seven. I didn't start counting, perhaps, as early 

 as I should have. Okay. 



Dr. Fox. Mr. Olver? 



Mr. Olver. Is the number of dollars that are assigned here, your 

 recommendation of $35 billion or $50 billion, $35 to $40 billion, is 

 that going to be adequate to — if you follow the rest of the rec- 

 ommendations with a good horizon planning and policy operation, 

 and disaggregation or seeing a budget before you disaggregate, is 

 that going to be enough money to keep us in that kind of position 

 of world-class in major fields? 



Mr. GUTKNECHT [presiding]. And before they answer, the gentle- 

 man's time has expired. 



Mr. Olver. It always done. 



Mr. GuTKNECHT. Yes. 



[Laughter.] 



Mr. Olver. I'll shut up and let you answer. 



Dr. Press. Just quicldy, you've asked some very good questions. 



$35 to $40 billion is where we are now. It isn't our recommended 

 budget. And I can't give you the figure that would keep us at 

 world-class and pre-eminent in a few fields. But we've outlined a 

 process where that figure can be at least estimated better than it 

 ever has been before. 



Mr. Olver. Any idea of how much more? 



Dr. Press. I wouldn't venture to guess that, no. 



Mr. Olver. But will 35 or 40 keep us there, or you don't think 

 it's adequate? Your recommendation is that it would not keep us 

 there. 



Dr. Press. It's the next stage of our study to answer the kind of 

 question that you've just asked. 



Mr. Olver. Okay. Thank you very much. 



Dr. Fox. The whole process, Mr. Olver, of determining which 

 fields in which we are pre-eminent and which we are world-class, 

 is long-term planning, and I think the process of monitoring our po- 

 sitions in the various major fields would allow us to have a better 

 feel. 



In other words, it will be very difficult on a given day to say our 

 investment is adequate. If we find that we're slipping, it means we 

 need a greater investment. 



Mr. GUTKNECHT. The gentleman's time has expired. The Chair 

 would recognize the gentleman from Maryland, Dr. Bartlett. 



Mr. Bartlett. Thank you very much. 



I'm sorry that I could not have been here for the whole time. I 

 was here for most of the testimony and for some of the early ques- 

 tioning. 



When I came to the Congress three years ago, this Committee 

 was committed to a program of directed basic research. I asked 

 them to please tell me what directed basic research was. And their 

 reply was that they felt that the government should only support 

 basic research that was going to have societal pay-offs. 



My next question was, pray, tell me, how are you going to decide 

 which basic research is going to have societal pay-offs? 



