SCIENCE AND EDUCATION FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE

TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 1958

UNITED STATES SENATE,

COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE,

Washington, D. C.

The committee met at 10 a. m., pursuant to notice, in the Old Supreme Court Chamber, the Capitol, Senator Lister Hill (chairman of the committee) presiding.

Present: Senators Hill (presiding), Murray, Kennedy, McNamara, Morse, Thurmond, Smith, Ives, and Goldwater.

Committee staff members present: Stewart E. McClure, chief clerk; Roy E. James, assistant chief clerk; John S. Forsythe, general counsel; William G. Reidy, Michael Bernstein, and Frederick R. Blackwell, professional staff members.

THE DEATH OF SENATOR MATTHEW NEELY

The CHAIRMAN. The committee will kindly come to order.

Last Saturday a beloved member of this committee, the Honorable Matthew Neely, of West Virginia, died at Bethesda Naval Hospital after a long illness. Senator Neely had served for the past 9 years as one of the most valued members of this committee.

His devotion to duty, his deep concern for the welfare of working people, his strong loyalty to the principles of democracy, his power to evoke the appropriate quotation from his favorite book, the Bible, his limitless energy and his warm friendliness will always be remembered by those of us who have had the privilege of serving with him over the years.

Out of respect to our departed colleague, Senator Neely, the hearing originally scheduled before this committee for tomorrow morning has been postponed. This will also make it possible for members to attend the funeral tomorrow afternoon at Fairmont, W. Va.

We are all saddened by the loss of our friend, Matt Neely. We shall sorely miss him, his companionship, his talents, his wisdom, and his leadership.

SCOPE AND PURPOSE OF HEARINGS

This morning the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare begins public hearings on the subject of Science and Education for National Defense. Before welcoming our distinguished first witness, I would like to say a word about the scope of these hearings, their purpose and importance.

We plan to conduct these hearings in two phases: The first part will bring us the views of some of America's outstanding scientists, educators, and other leading citizens on the general question before

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us. From them the committee hopes to learn, in the light of recent Russian scientific and educational achievements, what action America must take to strengthen our education. The second part will be for the purpose of receiving testimony on the many legislative proposals in this field which are, or will be, pending before us.

During the second, or legislative part of these hearings, we will welcome testimony from Members of the Senate who are sponsors of bills, as well as from all other Senators who may wish to give us the benefit of their views on these important matters.

We will also invite the administration's witnesses, who will be followed by representatives of the major educational, scientific, and public organizations or associations concerned with the problem under consideration, as well as individual witnesses from whose experience and knowledge the committee can benefit.

A TIME OF GREAT DECISION

Those hearings open at the time of great decision. A severe blowsome would say a disastrous blow-has been struck at America's selfconfidence and at her prestige in the world. Rarely have Americans questioned one another so intensely about our military position, our scientific stature, or our educational system.

The Soviet Union, which only 40 years ago was a nation of peasants, today is challenging our America, the world's greatest industrial power, in the very field where we have claimed supremacy: the application of science to technology.

We Americans are united in our determination to meet this challenge. We Americans know that we must give vastly greater support, emphasis, and dedication to basic scientific research, to quality in education, to instruction in the physical sciences, to training in foreign languages, and to developing to the full our intellectual, cultural, and scientific resources. We Americans know we must mobilize our Nation's brainpower in the struggle for survival.

This is a task for all our people, for both great political parties, for both the executive and the legislative branches of our Government, for the States, the counties, the cities and towns and local communities, for the schools, the colleges and universities, and for all the other private and public resources that constitute the basis of our scientific and educational endeavors.

The particular task of this committee is to consider how best to stimulate and strengthen science and education for the defense of our country and at the same time preserve the traditional principle, in which we all believe, that primary responsibility and control of education belongs and must remain with the States, local communities, and private institutions.

Since it was placed in orbit last November, the second Soviet earth satellite has by now revolved over our heads more than 2,000 times, a constant grim reminder that for the first time in the life of our Nation we are all looking down the cannon's mouth. The United States truly has reached a historic turning point, and the path we chose to pursue may well determine the future not only of western civilization but freedom and peace for all peoples of the earth.

1 See table of contents for list of bills under consideration.

EULOGIES OF SENATOR MATTHEW NEELY

Senator SMITH. Will you yield at this point.

The CHAIRMAN. I will yield to my distinguished friend from New Jersey.

Senator SMITH. I want to apologize for being late, but I understand reference was made to our beloved colleague, Matt Neely, who passed away, and I wanted to have the record show my deep affection for Matt Neely.

He was of a different party from me and he had many different ideas. But all of the time I was chairman here and subsequently when you were chairman, Senator Hill, and throughout my service in the Senate, he was one of my very dear and close friends, and I want the record to show that.

I am saddened by his passing.

Senator IVES. I wanted to join in this tribute to Senator Neely myself but I was going to wait until the chairman finished with his remarks. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I think in the loss of Senator Neely we have lost one of our outstanding members, and one of our most faithful members.

I am sure that the committee is going to miss him tremendously. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator.

Senator MURRAY. I think that every member of the committee feels the same as those Senators who have just expressed themselves with regard to Senator Neely.

I have been associated with him ever since I came to the United States Senate about 24 years ago, and I have a very deep regard and affection for him, and I am sorry that he has passed away.

This committee will miss the wise advice and help he has given us all during the years.

Senator KENNEDY. I would like to associate myself with what has been said about Senator Neely, who had a most unusual and memorable personality. I think he was held by everyone of the Senate in regard and affection.

DR. DETLEV W. BRONK

The CHAIRMAN. This morning it is our privilege to welcome as our first witness one of the great leaders of American science. Throughout his career he has made great and lasting contributions not only to science, research, and education, but also to the strengthening of our national defense.

Dr. Bronk, we have asked you to open these hearings because in your most versatile career you have gained experience in all of the fields which are of prime concern to us. You are the president of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council. You are chairman of the National Science Board which governs the National Science Foundation. You are president of one of the world's great private research foundations, the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research in New York.

For the record, Dr. Bronk, I would like to mention these biographical notes about you: Dr. Bronk was born in New York City in 1897. He received his bachelor of arts degree in 1920 from Swarthmore and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Michigan in

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1926, and, I believe, a degree of doctor of medicine and engineering. He has received honorary degrees of doctor of science from a large number of American and foreign universities. As a professor, he has taught biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also director of the Institute of Neurology for many years. During the Second World War, he was Coordinator of Research in the Air Surgeon's Office of the Army Air Forces. During the years 1948-53 he was president of one of our great institutions of learning, Johns Hopkins University. He has been president of the National Academy of Science since 1950 and president of the Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research since 1953.

We are honored to have you here this morning to speak to us as a scientist, as an educator, and as one whose wise counsel has long contributed to the defense of our country.

Senator IVES. Mr. Chairman, before Dr. Bronk starts, and because he is a fellow New Yorker, I wish to express my appreciation that he is here. I know something about Dr. Bronk. We were educated originally and initially in our early days not too far apart in New York State.

As I understand this series of hearings which are started, Mr. Chairman, we are not to consider at the moment any particular legislation. I am very glad of this breadth of approach. I think it is something which is needed.

I was very much interested in your opening remarks, Mr. Chairman. There is one thing that I want to caution you about. I do not think that we should approach this matter with hysteria. We are going to lick the Russians and let us not forget it.

I am not talking about war, but I am talking about scientific advance. We have the ingenuity in this country, and we have the knowhow, and we have everything it takes and we have the will to do it. I know the American people will rise up and do it.

What we are trying to find out, Mr. Chairman, as I understand, is how initially to approach it and to proceed to do it.

The CHAIRMAN. It is to find the best way to do the job that we have to do, and, as you say, we will do it, Senator.

Senator IVES. We certainly will.

The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Senator.

Doctor, now will you proceed, sir, in your own way.

STATEMENT OF DR. DETLEV A. BRONK, PRESIDENT OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES AND NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL

Dr. BRONK. Mr. Chairman, it is a great privilege to be able to consult with you.

The CHAIRMAN. May I say that we also are privileged to have with us Dr. Trytten and Dr. Whaley of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. BRONK. I appreciate the privilege of bringing my colleagues with me to fortify me with information which may not be at my command.

Because of the great magnitude of the undertaking to which you have addressed yourself, it is a very great privilege and a responsibility to try and convey to you some of my concerns.

I have not prepared a formal statement in the hope that I may extemporaneously discuss with you the matters which are of mutual interest.

EDUCATION AND NATIONAL DEFENSE

Among the topics you have asked me to discuss is this: "The relationship of education, especially in the sciences, to national defense in the present scientific age."

I would say that our national defense is obviously dependent on our national vitality. It is dependent on the strength and the continued development of our industries, of our technology, and our science. Our national defense is dependent upon the character and competence of our industrialists, of our engineers, of our scientists, and of all those who are concerned with the creation of our culture.

Our national defense is a part of the fabric of our Nation. And so I was glad to see that you have emphasized the relationship of education to our national defense.

Educated, competent men and women are our greatest national resource. This should be so obvious that I should be embarrassed to state such a truism. But I fear that all too often we overlook the fact that our men and women are our greatest source of national strength.

We cannot compete with Russia and China and other potential enemies in terms of numbers of men and women. Because of that, it is especially important that we have a very high level of education in our country in order to compete against greater numbers with men and women of greater competence. Only this way can we defend our national strength and be effective champions and defenders of the human freedoms on which the whole free world depends.

Because in our democratic system it is necessary that people be prepared to make wise decisions and take responsibility for the election of those who control local and Federal Governments, it is especially important that we have educated people who can use the ballot effectively and wisely. Without educated people there is no future for our democracy.

I would also say in this regard that our culture requires a great diversity of skills and talents. Because of the free nature of our country, we have far greater needs for educated people than does Russia, where people are told what to do. Here people have the power of choice.

Because of that, they need educated minds so that they can make their choices wisely.

DEFICIENCIES IN AMERICAN EDUCATION

A second topic to which you have asked me to speak is this: "The deficiencies in American education as related to national defense." This I would say: There is an inadequate number of competent teachers, and there are inadequate opportunities for the continued development of those we have. There is an inadequate local sense of responsibility, and this I would strongly stress for the reason that education is a personal matter.

Education is built upon the personal relationship between individual and individual, between teacher and student. Because of that