18 Research and National Purpose 



preventing that a potential enemy have free play beneath the 

 waters, on which travels the commerce of the world, are too 

 important to us to permit major areas or relevant technology 

 to lie fallow. We are sure that our deep submergency projects 

 which I briefly mentioned before will produce meaningful 

 results and — as we learn more about the vast unexplored 

 volumes of the ocean — develop new concepts that will most 

 likely result in great changes in our tactics and in the strategy 

 of Naval warfare. These are things which it is difficult even 

 to imagine at this time. 



This is not to say that we should channel all or most of our 

 effort into the undersea area. There are many other great areas 

 in Naval warfare which require attention and in all of these 

 we expect ONR contributions. It has been one of the great 

 virtues of the ONR effort that great latitude has been avail- 

 able to those who attack the problems of research. Their 

 uninhibited curiosity and their competent judgment have 

 brought the Fleet rewards which, in many cases, we had no 

 reason to expect. There has grown up in the Navy a tradition 

 of fostering close relations with the world of science which 

 finds its living expression today in the existence and strength 

 of ONR. Our confidence rests on an organization which, as 

 early as 1949, made Dr. Vannevar Bush say of the Navy in his 

 book on "Modern Arms and Free Men" while discussing 

 programs of sponsored research: "The Navy in particular has 

 done a magnificent piece of work in this field. It understands 

 scientific and university-service relationships. ..." 



The Fleet now knows that this understanding has greatly 

 contributed to its present strength. We shall continue to de- 

 pend on ONR that we always keep it as we set our course for 

 the uncharted waters of the future. 



