White House Press Release

#1275 IMMEDIATE RELEASE AUGUST 6, 1947 322 MEMORANDUM OF DISAPPROVAL I am withholding. my approval of S. 526, the National Science Foundation Bill. I take this action with deep regret. On several occa- sions, I have urged the, Congress to enact legislation to establish a National Science Foundation. Our national security and welfare require that we give direct support to basic scientific research and take steps to increase the number of trained scientists. I had hoped earnestly that the Congress would enact a bill to establish a suitable agency to stimulate and correlate the activi- ties of the Government directed toward these ends. However, this bill contains provisions which represent such a marked departure from sound principles for the administration of public affairs that I cannot give it my approval. It would, in effect, vest the determination of vital national policies, the expenditure of large public funds, and the administration of important governmental functions in a group of individuals who would be essen- tially private citizens. The proposed National Science Foundation would be divorced from control by the people to an extent that implies a distinct lack of faith in democratic processes. NARA Moreover, the organization prescribed .in the bill is so complex and unwieldy that there is grave danger that it would impede rather than promote the Government's efforts to encourage scientific research. The Government's expenditures for scientific research and development activities currently amount to hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Under present world conditions, this work is vital to our national welfare and security. We cannot afford to jeopardize it by imposing upon it an organization so likely to prove unworkable. Under S. 526, the powers of the proposed Foundation would be vested in 24 members, appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate. These members would be part time officials, required to meet only once each year. This group would, in turn, select biennially from among its 24 members an executive committee of 9 members and would exercise its powers through the executive committee. This 9 member executive committe would also be a part time body required to meet only six times a year. The Foundation would have a chief executive officer, known as the Director. He would be appointed by the 9 member executive committee unless the 24 member body itself chose to appoint him. The power and duties of the Director would be prescribed by the executive committee and exercised under its supervision. There would be within the Foundation a number of divisions, each exercising such duties and performing such functions as the Foundation prescribed. There would be no limit upon the number of divisions which the Foundation could establish. For each division there would be a divisional committee. In the case of the Committee for the Division of National Defense, there would be a limit of 36 members, half of whom would be appointed by the Foundation and half of whom would be representatives of the armed services. In other cases, there would be no limit upon the number of members of each divisional committee and all of the members would be appointed by the Foundation. Not only would these part time committees furnish advice and make recommendations concerning the Government's scientific research program, but each divisional committee would also "exercise and perform the powers and duties of its division". The Foundation would also be empowered to appoint commis- sions in various fields of research. Three such commissions are specified in the bill, and the Foundation could appoint as many additional special commissions as it saw fit. Each such commission would consist of 6 eminent scientists and 5 members from the general public. After making a survey of public and private research already (OVER)