29 
(staff to negotiate a contract at San Antonio for an initial study) and 
that a national station be established as a central coordination point for 
research and for training in primate research. 
The members of the Primate Research Study Section were so very disturbed by 
these recommendations of the Heart Council(22 ) that the Director of the Na- 
tional Heart Institute (Dr. James Watt) and the Deputy Director of the Nation- 
al Institutes of Health (Dr. David Price) were invited by the chairman of the 
Study Section to meet on September 7th with the Study Section in executive 
session^ . The Study Section wanted to "hear some of the reasons why certain 
actions were taken by the Heart Council. "(^) The matters the Study Section 
wanted to have explained(24) included: (a) Why had a decision been made 
earlier, contrary to the advice of the committee of technical experts, to 
establish several regional centers rather than a national station? (Answer: 
The Senate and the House of Representatives made the decision to put money 
into regional centers rather than a single national station.)^' (b) Why did 
the Heart Council make recommendations at the June 1961 meeting that were not 
in line with the advice of the Study Section group? (Answer: Someone had to 
make recommendations at this time relative to a definitive formulation of the 
broad characteristics of the regional center program. The Council, in its 
advisory capacity, acted in compliance with the intent of the Congress in 
appropriating the funds, taking into consideration the Study Section's advice 
on scientific merit and other factors the Study Section did not use as a basis 
for its recommendations.) (c) Why did the Council recommend that the particu- 
lar contract be negotiated for an initial study on methods of procuring and 
conditioning primates? (Answer: The Council had expressed its belief that 
a primate conditioning center or compound ought to be established and had asked 
the Study Section whether it thought this should be done. The Study Section 
advised against the establishment of a conditioning center at this time, 
because additional information was needed. Consequently, the Council recom- 
mended that a contract be negotiated for an initial study to help get such 
information.) (d) Why did the Council recommend that a regional center be 
established at a site not yet selected by the Study Section? (Answer: Because 
that site provided a unique opportunity for a center focused on a particular 
species of primate that should be included in the regional research centers 
program.) Various other matters were discussed at this session, but the above 
were the main issues brought out. 
It is the considered opinion of the writer that the basic issue that bothered 
the Study Section members was that, although they represented the most knowledg 
able and experienced group of primate researchers in the country (and probably 
in the world), their opinions and advice did not finally determine the decision 
involved in the creation of a primate research center or primate research 
54 / This was attempted but did not work out. 
55 / Dr. Eyestone and Dr. Yeager were present at the executive session. 
56 / These answers are here expressed in the words of the writer of this report 
not in the words of Dr. Watt, who carried on the discussion with the Study 
Section. 
