INTERVIEW HISTORY 



Thirteen years have passed since these interviews occurred in August 

 1985. During this period, much has changed at Scripps Institution of 

 Oceanography and throughout the world. Roger Revelle died in July 1991, 

 after an extraordinary life dedicated to research and learning in 

 oceanography, population science, and international scientific 

 cooperation. His life represents one lengthy, intricate chapter in the 

 history of international science in the twentieth century. 



This fourth, and last, volume in the oral history memoir series, 

 "Oceanography, Population Resources and the World, " allows Revelle to 

 recall aspects of his career in the 1960s and 1970s, including the 

 directorship of the Center for Population Studies at Harvard, his work 

 on the White House-Interior Panel on Waterlogging and Salinity in West 

 Pakistan, his tenure on the Indian Education Commission, and 

 international scientific debates that occurred through the Pacem in 

 Maribus and Pugwash conferences. These pages are not scientific 

 discussions; rather, they breathe as quiet anecdotal reminiscences of an 

 academic scientist's career and life. 



Interested readers may wish to consult additional sources that reveal 

 Revelle' s autobiographical and biographical notes. These items include 

 other volumes in this oral history memoir series ( Preparation for a 

 Scientific Career ; Observations on the Office of Naval Research and 

 International Science, 1945-1960 ; and. Director of Scripps Institution 

 of Oceanography, 1951-1964 ), as well as Judith and Neil Morgan's Roger: 

 A Biography of Roger Revelle (1996), and "Roger Revelle - Statesman of 

 Science", a television program produced in 1992 by KPBS-TV in San Diego. 



Revelle did have the opportunity to review the verbatim transcript of 

 these interviews. He penned in several emendations within the text, 

 which have been incorporated in the final transcript. Ellen Revelle 

 Eckis also took time to make a few notes which clarified information. 



In order to prepare sufficiently for these interviews, the interviewer- 

 editor conducted research on several levels: examination of the Roger 

 Randall Dougan Revelle Papers which have been collected at the SIO 

 Archives in La Jolla; reading of secondary works that highlight the 

 recent history of oceanography and other aspects of Revelle' s career and 

 life; and, consultation with Revelle himself about critical episodes 

 that he thought needed oral documentation. Throughout this project, 

 Deborah Day, as archivist at SIO, provided invaluable and generous 

 support. Day suggested topics to pursue with Revelle, as well as mapped 

 and led the way through Revelle' s extensive manuscript files. 



