6 



by direct exercise of authority to compel all who en- 

 gage in research to coordinate their activities. In the 

 United States compulsory coordination is impossible. 

 The only procedure which can succeed is volmitary 

 cooperation based on agreement as to the best ways of 

 making research productive. 



In view of the importance to the Government itself 

 and to the nongovernmental research institutions of 

 the coiuitry that the problems arising from the expan- 

 sion of research be properly solved, it was deemed de- 

 sirable that a survey be made of the character and 

 extent of research within the Government. Such a 

 survey, it was believed, would contribute to an under- 

 standing of the proper sphere and range of research 

 within the Govermnent and would stimulate the con- 

 sideration by nongovernmental research workers of the 

 steps which may be taken better to solve the problems 

 that arise in the conduct of research thi-oughout the 

 country. 



A Survey of Research in the 

 Government 



With the approval of the President, the National 

 Resources Committee authorized its Science Committee 

 to make a survey and prepare a report the scope of 

 which is defined in the President's letter of approval. 

 The subject of the survey assigned to the Science Com- 

 mittee in this letter is "Federal Aids to Research and 

 the place of research (including natural and social 

 science) in the Federal Government." 



The Science Committee, through a subcommittee and 

 a staff appointed for the purpose, collected the ma- 

 terials which are summarized in this volume. This, 

 the first, section is the report adopted by the Science 

 Committee. Subsequent sections report details regard- 

 ing various aspects of the Government's program of 

 research. The responsibility for each of these subse- 

 quent sections belongs to the individual whose name 

 appears as author. 



Broad Use of the Term "Research" 



Throughout the survey the word "research" was used 

 in a very broad sense. It is fully recognized by the 

 Science Committee that there is a disposition in many 

 quarters to draw a distinction between pure, or funda- 

 mental, research and practical research and to think 

 of the research carried on by governmental agencies as 

 altogether of the practical type. It did not seem wise 

 in making this survey to draw this distinction. The 

 study of plant diseases or of cancer leads to intensive, 

 often very far-reaching studies of biological processes ; 

 the development of standards for electrical and other 

 physical appliances leads to fundamental investigations 

 in physics; the examination of the relation between 



National Resources Committee 



commodity prices and rates of production depends on 

 the development of elaborate techniques of research 

 and leads to generalizations in economics far beyond 

 immediate practical applications. 



It may be well to point out explicitly that for the 

 purposes of this survey such activities as the collection 

 of data were recognized as phases of research. It is 

 true that collection of data is often a routine operation 

 requiring a minimum of technical preparation on the 

 part of the collectors. The enumerators employed by 

 the Bureau of the Census, for example, are not in most 

 instances research workers. They are, however, indis- 

 pensable assistants to tlie individuals in the Bm-eau of 

 the Census who analyze and interpret the returns; 

 moreover, the schedules used by the enumerators are 

 prepared by highly trained research workers and are 

 rendered by this method of jueparation suitable in- 

 struments for use in the tirst steps of important 

 reseai'ch undertakings. 



There are certain strictly routine applications of 

 measuring techniques, such as the testing of materials 

 and of the products of manufacturing. While these 

 require the employment of formulas or instruments 

 refined by research, they do not contribute to progress 

 in scientific knowledge. Such routine testing was not 

 recognized in this survey as research. 



Scientific Investigations 

 Made by the Congress 



Tlie Congress is not only the creator of such re- 

 search agencies as are maintained within the Govern- 

 ment ; it is itself engaged directly through its own com- 

 mittees in numerous projects of research. The results 

 of many of the inquiries carried on by Congressional 

 committees are important contributions to the natural 

 sciences and the social sciences. Some Congressional 

 connnittees deal chiefly with matters of policy and de- 

 pend on bureaus of the executive departments or on 

 independent branches of the Government for the in- 

 formation on wliicli tliey act. From time to time, how- 

 ever, the Congress has found it necessary to create 

 special connnittees or conuuissions made up in whole 

 or in part of its own members to secure the information 

 required to guitle action. In many cases these com- 

 mittees and (■onuiiissions have employed si)ecial statl's 

 and ha\e conducted extensive researches. ^Vhat is true 

 of tlie Congress is true in lesser measure of State legis- 

 latures. A later section of this volume presents in de- 

 tail an account of the scientific investigations carried 

 on directly by the Congress and by State legislatures. 



In 1937 tlie Senate of the United States had special 

 committees on the investigation of labor conditions on 

 the Mississippi flood control project ; the investigation 

 of receiverships and lianlcrnjitcy proceedings and the 



