17 
had determined that there was a national need for primate facilities and 
had recommended the establishment of a single, large, national station, 
it had become evident through discussions with other NIH staff that perhaps 
multiple primate facilities would be just as desirable as a single facility. 
He said the Heart Institute's report to the Senate reflected both approaches. 
The Council then asked its Committee on Organization of a Primate Station to 
continue planning and to consider the merits of both approaches. 
The document prepared by Heart Institute staff for the Senate Appropriations 
Subcommittee was dated April 23, 1959, and had the title "Feasibility and 
Desirability of Primate Research Centers. "(12) This document proposed an 
initial outlay of $10 million and an annual operating cost of $3.5 million 
for a "single large center;" or for each of a number of "smaller national 
primate research centers ... .approximately $2 million capital outlay and approx- 
imately $700,000 annual operating costs." Four to six "smaller national 
centers" were suggested. The objectives of a center or centers were to be 
focused on cardiovascular research but with gradual expansion to include 
"other disease categories and other disciplines, until, ultimately the func- 
tion of the station or centers is the full and complete investigation of the 
primate (s)."— ' This document may have been influenced by another one that 
had been prepared by staff for administrative and Council purposes which con- 
tained a brief historical review, reflecting the views of consultants and 
estimating $9,650,000 for capital outlay and $3,460,000 for annual operation. (13) 
All indications pointed to the strong probability that the Congress would 
appropriate some funds to the Heart Institute for this proposed program, 
but more likely for regional primate research centers than for a single major 
primate station. In anticipation of this. Dr. Burch called a meeting of his 
committee on July 17, 1959, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New Orleans, at which 
Dr. Eyestone and Dr. Yeager represented the Heart Institute staff. The 
entire meeting was devoted to the issue assigned to the committee by the 
Council: whether it would be best to have a single major national research 
station, or several regional research centers, or both. Taking all factors 
and viewpoints into consideration, the committee decided that a coordinated, 
integrated system should be developed, consisting of a central large national 
primate research station plus several small subsidiary national research centers, 
each of which would get its support through the national station. The station 
itself should be supported through direct appropriations from the Congress and 
these appropriations should include funds for the several centers. The station 
would be a part of the PHS in an organizational position comparable to that 
of the recently created National Library of Medicine .22' It would have an 
appropriate relationship to the NIH although it would not necessarily be lo- 
cated in the Bethesda or Washington area. Under the Director of the Station 
would be a Board of Directors composed of directors of the subsidiary centers 
plus outstanding, knowledgeable persons from various parts of the United States. 
26 / The statement prepared for the House Appropriations Subcommittee said 
essentially the same thing. 
27/ Established in October 1956. 
