Letter, Sinclair Weeks, Secretary of Commerce, to Detlev Bronk, President of the National Academy of Sciences, Concerning the U.S. Program in Geophysical Research

COPY THE SECRETARY OF COMMERCE WASHINOTON March 23, 1954 Dr. Detlev T. Bronk, President National Aeademy of Sciences 2101 Constitution Avenue Tashington 25, D. C. Dear Dr. Bronics I understand that a major United States program in geophysical research is being planned for the years 1957-53, to be conducted in cooperation with more than 25 nations as part of the Inter- national Geophysieal Year effort. In our recent conversation you informed no that the National Aeademy of Sciances, acting at the request of many scientists of the courbry, has been instrumental in formulating this program, and has recommended that the National Science Foundation consider it l'or subnission to the Bureau of the Budget and the Congress. The perpose of this letter is to convey to you the viewa of the Department of Commerce with respect to this proposed activity. The Department of Commerce has, of course, a direct interest in programs that promise to be of value to commerce and industry. Problems such as those concarned with weathor analysis, radio wave propagation, surveying and navigation, longitude and latitude determinations, geomagnetism and oceangraphy are of operational interest to such agencies of this Department as the Civil Aero- nauties Admistration, the Teather Bureau, the National Bureau of Standards, and the Coast and Gaodetie Survey. Because of these agencies are also charged with responsibility for service and researeh in varions fiolds of geophysics they have Turther important interests in the sciantifie program proposed for the International Geophysical Year. The critical geophysical services that are provided by those bureaus, including weather forecasting, prediction of usable radio frequencies, and preparation of navigational data, are utilized by major segrents of our econony: foreign and domestic trade, shipping, and commant- cations; manafacture: air, land, and sea transportation; and agriquiture. Continued improvement in these services depends heavily on continued advances in basie geophysical research. The Department of Commerce therefore expects to derive great benefit from the concerted efforts of thousands of scientists supported by large numbers of private