Now, that is far removed from the original purpose of the Bureau of Standards, is it not? Mr. BRANSCOMB. First, let me say, sir, that the things you have described represent personal scientific research. I have had responsibilities beyond that. Senator MAGNUSON. You have specialized in this particular field? Mr. BRANSCOMB. This is my special field. Senator MAGNUSON. As a physics specialist? Mr. BRANSCOMB. If I may answer, I would like to suggest first that the Bureau of Standards' responsibility, as I read the enabling statutes, do go substantially beyond commerce. My own experience has brought me quite close to important areas of technology that the Nation uses. I have been close to the thermonuclear research program of the AEC and have had some responsibilities there. I have had quite a lot of experience with the aeronautics and space area and a number of other areas as well, and I believe the Bureau has an important job beyond commerce to insure that it provides, if you like, the infrastructure of the Nation's science and technology. Without a vital and high quality reliable measurement capability the country's science and technology cannot be effective in application. I think that really is a fundamental Senator MAGNUSON. I thought I made it clear that I am not being particularly critical of the trend that the Bureau of Standards has taken over the years because you follow the trend in Government itself. When Congress sets up the Atomic Energy Commission the Bureau of Standards has to follow that trend and NASA the same way. But I hope when you get-if you are going to be head of a whole department, you would not forget about its original purpose. Mr. BRANSCOMB. I assure you, sir, I am not. Senator MAGNUSON. That is what I am talking about because that is what the money was originally appropriated for and that is why the Bureau was set up. The enabling act is pretty broad, I agree with you. You can do most anything and I guess the Bureau has been pretty much following the trend in Government itself in the scientific field. Mr. BRANSCOMB. I think we have been quite restrained, sir, if I might comment on that, with regard to the great expansion in science. Senator MAGNUSON. If you can keep a bunch of scientists restrained you are doing pretty good. But I do hope you take a good long look at some of the original basic purposes of the National Bureau of Standards. Mr. BRANSCOMB. I assure you that I will, sir. Senator MAGNUSON. Excuse me, I thought you were finished. Senator COTTON. I note from your financial statement that you say the stock owned by yourself and your wife, to your knowledge, does not in any case exceed more than one-tenth of 1 percent of the outstanding total shares of the particular issue. In your capacity as Director, would you have occasion to take any official action which could affect any corporation in which you or your family own stock? In other words, is there any possibility of any of these particular companies that you own a small amount of stock in being affected by your decisions as Director of the Bureau of Standards? Mr. BRANSCOMB. Should I be aware of such a possibility, sir, I would dissociate myself from that action. I suspect, however, that all of this stock will have been sold between now and the time I settle on the house I just bought. Senator COTTON. I am sure you will be most scrupulous in that regard. I always feel somewhat hypocritical even asking questions about this. Senator MAGNUSON. There is a little difference, Senator Cotton. The voters catch up with the Members of Congress but they cannot catch up with these executive appointees very well. They scrutinize you pretty good and that is why we have a duty to scrutinize the executive department, because we get scrutinized whether we like it or not. Senator COTTON. Well, perhaps my position is affected by the fact that I own very little stock. Senator MAGNUSON. Does the Senator from Tennessee have any questions? Senator BAKER. No. Senator MAGNUSON. The Senator from Kansas? Senator PEARSON. No, thank you, Senator. Senator MAGNUSON. The Senator from Michigan? Senator GRIFFIN. Doctor, I just want to mention one of the many things you have to consider. You are aware, I am sure, that Congress recently passed legislation. to set up in your Bureau a metric study to determine the feasibility of conversion to the metric system. Because you were not at the Bureau when this legislation developed, I want to call your attention to the fact that it would be very useful to go back and study the legislative history of this legislation. Senator Pell of Rhode Island and I were particularly interested in this subject and both introduced bills to establish such a study. There were differences between the two approaches but, ultimately, the bill enacted was a compromise measure. I think there is a good deal of interest in moving to a worldwide uniform system of standards as quickly as is possible and feasible. But yet we want to be sure that in this study that you carefully take into account what the impact may be on certain industries. While theoretically it is desirable to move to a worldwide standard, in some industries it may be a very difficult and a very expensive thing to do. If you are aware of this study, perhaps you can give us a report on how it is progressing? Mr. BRANSCOMB. I am aware of the fact that it is 1 year out of 3 downstream and is being very actively pursued. I am not in detail familiar with the state of progress but I intend to take a very close interest in it. I think it is a very important study. Senator GRIFFIN. I do, too, and I just want you to know that there are a number of members, particularly on this committee, that are vitally interested in it. Thank you very much. Senator MAGNUSON. Any further questions by the committee? If not, we thank you very much. The next nomination before the committee is that of Albert Bushong Brooke, Jr., of Maryland, to be a member of the Federal Power Commission for a term of 5 years expiring in 1974. This is a reappointment. ALBERT BUSHONG BROOKE, JR., COMMISSIONER OF THE FEDERAL POWER COMMISSION Senator MAGNUSON. We will put your biographical data in the record in full. (The biography follows:) ALBERT BUSHONG BROOKE, JR. Address: 821 Fairway Drive, Towson, Maryland; Phone: 301 825-5777. Born: June 23, 1921, Paducah, Kentucky, son of Mrs. Ruth C. Brooke, Hinton, West Virginia, and the late Albert B. Brooke, Sr., Eastern Kentucky coal mining executive for many years. Education: Graduated Wayland High School, Wayland, Kentucky, May, 1938. Enrolled University of Kentucky in 1938, graduating with AB in Journalism in Class of 1947. Inducted into Phi Beta Kappa in 1946. Military: Inducted into Armý on July 10, 1942. Attended Army Air Force Technical Training Schools at Sioux Falls, S. Dak., and Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut. Commissioned Second Lieutenant upon completion of Communications Officer course at Yale, April 1, 1943. Served in European Theater of Operations from December, 1943 to October 1945, with Ninth Fighter Command and IX Tactical Air Command, the latter providing fighter-bomber support for First Army ground forces in drive across Europe. Assigned to planning staff of Ninth Fighter Command to coordinate signal annex of operations order with other American-British fighter and bomber commands in air strikes against the Continent. Discharged January, 1946 as First Lieutenant. ETO Ribbon with six battle stars. Employment: Member, Federal Power Commission, October 16, 1968, to date (unexpired term ending June 22, 1969). February 1, 1958, to October 15, 1968-Member of staff of Senator Thruston B. Morton (R-Ky.). Started as Press-PR Assistant, subsequently became Legislative Assistant, Special Assistant, and Administrative Assistant. April 1, 1957, to January 31, 1958: Public Relations Account Executive, VanSant, Dugdale and Company, Baltimore, Maryland. October 1, 1946, to March 31, 1957: Employed by the Lexington Herald, the morning publication of the Herald-Leader Company, Lexington, Kentucky. Started as Police Reporter and left as Assistant City Editor. July, 1941 to July, 1942: Payroll Clerk, Elk Horn Coal Corporation, Wayland, Kentucky. Terminated to enter military service. Summer, 1940: Vacation reporting with Grand Rapids Press, Grand Rapids, Michigan, from June to mid-September. Religion: Protestant. Politics: Republican. Registered and votes in Maryland. Family: Married to the former Virginia Joyce Rogers, Charlotte, N.C., on March 1, 1947. Four children: Albert B. III (Skip), 20, junior, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, Va.; Susan Rogers, 18, freshman, University of Delaware, Newark, Del.; Roger W., 15, 10th grade, Towson High School, and Virginia, 13, 8th grade, Dumbarton Junior High. Sports: Golf, tennis, basketball, swimming. Avid spectator in baseball and football. Senator MAGNUSON. Senator Tydings of Maryland has orally informed the committee that he has no objection to your nomination. Senator Mathias Senator COTTON. He wanted to be notified. Mr. BROOKE. Senator Mathias has been advised now and he should be over in a few minutes. Senator MAGNUSON. We will proceed with a few brief questions until he shows up. As members of the committee will note by his biographical sketch, the nominee now lives in Maryland. He was born in Kentucky and is a graduate of the University of Kentucky in 1938 with an A.B. in journalism. He enrolled in 1938, excuse me, and graduated in 1947. Mr. BROOKE. Yes, sir. Senator MAGNUSON. The journalism class of 1947. He served in the Army for a period of time and was commissioned as second lieutenant and communication officer course at Yale in 1943, and served in the European theater and on the staff of the 9th Fighter Command, and mostly in communication work. Mr. BROOKE. I was an Air Force communications officer, detailed to work with the Signal Corps. Senator MAGNUSON. You have been a member of the Federal Power Commission since October 16. That was an unexpired term. You succeeded whom? Mr. BROOKE. Commissioner Charles Ross of Vermont. Senator MAGNUSON. And then from 1958 to 1968, for approximately 10 years, as the committee well knows, you were a member of the staff of the former distinguished member of this committee, Senator Morton of Kentucky, and you have been employed with various newspapers during the time prior to that time. Now, because the law requires it, I have to ask you to answer the question, what is your political affiliation? Mr. BROOKE. I am a registered Republican in the State of Maryland, Mr. Chairman. Senator MAGNUSON. As customary, we have your financial statement. We will place that in the files of the committee and it is open for anyone to look at it, committee members or members of the press or the public. Now, you have been down on the Commission for approximately how long? Mr. BROOKE. Nine and half months, since October 16, 1968. Senator MAGNUSON. You have been down there about 9 months? Mr. BROOKE. Yes, sir. Senator MAGNUSON. And what has been the nature of your specific work, other than your general work as Commissioner? Have you sort of specialized in any one phase of the duties of the Commission? Mr. BROOKE. No, sir. Senator MAGNUSON. Some commissioners do. Some of them become a little more expert in power matters and others in gas matters and that is natural on commissions. Mr. BROOKE. That is correct. No, sir; I have made no attempt to date to specialize in any particular matter or area of work of the Com mission. There are those of my colleagues, who have been there longer than I, who have staked out a claim, if that is a proper term, to certain areas. For instance, my Republican colleague from Illinois, Mr. Bagge, has taken considerable leadership in the area of liquified natural gas as to its future posture in the regulatory field. I have concerned myself at the Commission with learning more thoroughly the scope of the regulatory functions of the Commission in the regulatory areas of the gas and utility industry. As I commented to this committee last year in September at my hearing, I was generally familiar with the scope of the operation and work of the Federal Power Commission but having been at the Federal Power Commission only a short time I found out that I was rather weak in subjects which have a vital bearing on our work, and I refer specifically to the areas of finance, accounting, and economics. There has been a constant learning process at the Commission. So, in specific answer to your question, have I specialized, no, sir; I have not. Senator MAGNUSON. Well, I probably should not have used the word specialized, but some Commissioners find themselves a little more involved, because like Members of Congress they get on special committees or different committees in which they feel they are more adapted to knowing the subject. Mr. BROOKE. Yes, sir. I see your point. Senator MAGNUSON. The Power Commission has a broad jurisdiction and very important one but it does deal with many facets of the energy producing community of the United States, including electric power, electric energy, and gas. Have you had occasion to do any checking-because you were here and Senator Morton was very active in the gas pipeline safety bill, how it is operating? Mr. BROOKE. The administration of the Natural Gas Pipeline Safety Act has been delegated to the Department of Transportation, Mr. Chairman. Senator MAGNUSON. I know that, but they were to consult with the Power Commission and there was to be a liaison. Mr. BROOKE. That is correct. One specific instance where the liaison worked well was back in the early part of this year when the new pipeline constructed across the northern peninsula of Michigan suffered a couple of explosions, a rupture of pipe for a considerable distance. Mr. Jennings, who heads up the Pipeline Safety Division of DOT, consulted with the Commission, and it is my recollection that we sent at least one and maybe two staff members to do an onscene investigation. Certainly we do and have established liaison with the Pipeline Safety Division of DOT. Senator MAGNUSON. Now, have you participated in any discussions down there informally or formally in relation to not only the legislation that has been up in Congress but the practical day-to-day situation of electric reliability? Mr. BROOKE. Yes, sir. I have participated in extensive discussions at the Commission with respect to electric power reliability. The current legislation which is before the Congress-if it has been introduced in the Senate yet or not I do not know-I know it has been introduced on the House side, and I think hearings have been held. I think they were held yesterday on the draft which was submitted by Chairman White and Commissioner O'Connor. Senator MAGNUSON. You will recall we had some hearings last year on it in the field and the problem of brownouts and blackouts seems to be becoming a little more serious in the country due to-well, some are due to weather conditions-and the inability on the part of the producers of electric energy-probably through no fault of their own-whether it be public or private to really keep up with the tremendous demand for electrical energy. Mr. BROOKE. Mr. Chairman, two of the problems that I see two of the overriding problems of the Federal Power Commission todayare concerned with the supply aspects of both natural gas and electric power as far as the consumer is concerned. As far as the electric power |