Executive Order 10521

Administration of Scientific Research by Agencies of the Federal Government

Government record

By: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Date: March 17, 1954

Source: National Archives

About the Author: President Dwight D. Eisenhower served as the thirty-fourth president of the United States from 1953–1961. Before becoming president, Eisenhower was a General in the U.S. Army and held the position of Supreme Allied Commander of forces in Europe during World War II.

INTRODUCTION

Many of the successes of Allied forces during World War II (1938–1945) were the result of scientific advances. The director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, Vannevar Bush, submitted a report to Franklin Roosevelt in 1945. Bush's report, entitledScience—The Endless Frontier, asserted that during the wartime period, scientists had used operations research to create technological advances to help the war such as radar and nuclear weapons. He advocated continued research funded by the government with the caveat that researchers be allowed to be independent. He proposed to fund the work of scientific research through a national research foundation which would empower researchers without government interference. He suggested that the military services continue to do policy-directed research, or research driven by policy outlined objectives, for the Department of Defense; however, he asserted that the Defense Department needed more inventive research programs like those at universities. Thus began the debate over the influence U.S. government should have on the research that it funds.

In 1946, President Truman signed an Executive Order to create the President's Scientific Research Board (PSRB) to manage the government's own research, as well as coordinate research with academics. The PSRB was to report to the president reviews of scientific research, both current and proposed, that was occurring within the government structure and outside of the federal government. John Steelman, the director of Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion (OWMR), was appointed the chair of the board. Under Steelman's direction, the PSRB embarked on a ten month study to create a detailed account and analysis of the U.S. research system. The four volumes of the report were published under the nameScienceand Public Policy. The two works,Science—The Endless FrontierandScience and Public Policyrepresented the two varying thoughts on government direction of research and development in the U.S. scientific community.Science—The Endless Frontierpresented a laissez-faire role for government. Its author, Vannevar Bush, acknowledged that private sector funding of research was no longer adequate to support academic research and development. Bush proposed a system for bestowing universities with research support that was designed to operate outside the government bureaucracy and be apolitical. Under Steelman's report, research and development would be funded and organized under the direction of the government.

The National Science Foundation Act of 1947 was submitted to President Truman; this act would create a National Science Foundation who would be directed by the National Science Board, which was appointed by the president. President Truman vetoed the bill, asserting that the Act would force him to delegate his authority to oversee the disbursement of public funds to the National Science Board. However, government agencies continued to fund research and development. The Office of Naval Research, Atomic Energy Commission, and the National Institutes of Health supported university research for several years and with the rise of the Cold War brought a continued need to fund research. As such, President Truman signed the National Science Foundation Act of 1950. The act bridged a compromise in presidential influence that was not present in the legislation proposed in 1947. Leadership in the foundation would be shared between the National Science Board, which was appointed by the president, and a director appointed by the president and approved by the senate. As such, the National Science Foundation was created in 1950 with the expressed purpose to fund basic research and develop a relationship between science and government.

PRIMARY SOURCE

WHEREAS the security and welfare of the United States depend increasingly upon the advancement of knowledge in the sciences; and

WHEREAS useful applications of science to defense, humanitarian, and other purposes in the Nation require a strong foundation in basic scientific knowledge and trained scientific manpower; and

WHEREAS the administration of Federal scientific research programs affecting institutions of learning must be consistent with the preservation of the strength, vitality, and independence of higher education in the United States; and

WHEREAS, in order to conserve fiscal and manpower resources, it is necessary that Federal scientific research programs be administered with all practicable efficiency and economy; and

WHEREAS the National Science Foundation has been established by law for the purpose, among others, of developing and encouraging the pursuit of an appropriate and effective national policy for the promotion of basic research and education in the sciences:

NOW, THEREFORE, by virtue of the authority vested in me as President of the United States, it is hereby ordered as follows:

Section 1. The National Science Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) shall from time to time recommend to the President policies for the promotion and support of basic research and education in the sciences, including policies with respect to furnishing guidance toward defining the responsibilities of the Federal Government in the conduct and support of basic scientific research.

[Sec. 1 amended by EO 10807 of Mar. 13, 1959, 24 FR 1897, 3 CFR, 1959–1963 Comp., p. 329]

Sec. 2. The Foundation shall continue to make comprehensive studies and recommendations regarding the Nation's scientific research effort and its resources for scientific activities, including facilities and scientific personnel, and its foreseeable scientific needs, with particular attention to the extent of the Federal Government's activities and the resulting effects upon trained scientific personnel. In making such studies, the Foundation shall make full use of existing sources of information and research facilities within the Federal Government.

Sec. 3. The Foundation, in concert with each Federal agency concerned, shall review the basic scientific research programs and activities of the Federal Government in order, among other purposes, to formulate methods for strengthening the administration of such programs and activities by the responsible agencies, and to study areas of basic research where gaps or undesirable overlapping of support may exist, and shall recommend to the heads of agencies concerning the support given to basic research.

[Sec. 3 amended by EO 10807 of Mar. 13, 1959, 24 FR 1897, 3 CFR, 1959–1963 Comp., p. 329]

Sec. 4. As now or hereafter authorized or permitted by law, the Foundation shall be increasingly responsible for providing support by the Federal Government for general-purpose basic research through contracts and grants. The conduct and support by other Federal agencies of basic research in areas which are closely related to their missions is recognized as important and desirable, especially in response to current national needs, and shall continue.

Sec. 5. The Foundation, in consultation with educational institutions, the heads of Federal agencies, and the Commissioner of Education of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,1 shall study the effects upon educational institutions of Federal policies and administration of contracts and grants for scientific research and development, and shall recommend policies and procedures which will promote the attainment of general national research objectives and realization of the research needs of Federal agencies while safeguarding the strength and independence of the Nation's institutions of learning.

Sec. 6. The head of each Federal agency engaged in scientific research shall make certain that effective executive, organizational, and fiscal practices exist to ensure (a) that the Foundation is consulted on policies concerning the support of basic research, (b) that approved scientific research programs conducted by the agency are reviewed continuously in order to preserve priorities in research efforts and to adjust programs to meet changing conditions without imposing unnecessary added burdens on budgetary and other resources, (c) that applied research and development shall be undertaken with sufficient consideration of the underlying basic research and such other factors as relative urgency, project costs, and availability of manpower and facilities, and (d) that, subject to considerations of security and applicable law, adequate dissemination shall be made within the Federal Government of reports on the nature and progress of research projects as an aid to the efficiency and economy of the overall Federal scientific research program.

Sec. 7. Federal agencies supporting or engaging in scientific research shall, with the assistance of the Foundation, cooperate in an effort to improve the methods of classification and reporting of scientific research projects and activities, subject to the requirements of security of information.

Sec. 8. To facilitate the efficient use of scientific research equipment and facilities held by Federal agencies:

1. the head of each such agency engaged in scientific research shall, to the extent practicable, encourage and facilitate the sharing with other Federal agencies of major equipment and facilities; and
2. a Federal agency shall procure new major equipment or facilities for scientific research purposes only after taking suitable steps to ascertain that the need cannot be met adequately from existing inventories or facilities of its own or of other agencies.

[Sec. 8 amended by EO 10807 of Mar. 13, 1959, 24 FR 1897, 3 CFR, 1959–1963 Comp., p. 329]

Sec. 9. The heads of the respective Federal agencies shall make such reports concerning activities within the purview of this order as may be required by the President.

Sec. 10. The National Science Foundation shall provide leadership in the effective coordination of the scientific information activities of the Federal Government with a view to improving the availability and dissemination of scientific information. Federal agencies shall cooperate with and assist the National Science Foundation in the performance of this function, to the extent permitted by law.

[Sec. 10 added by EO 10807 of Mar. 13, 1959, 24 FR 1897, 3 CFR, 1959–1963 Comp., p. 329]

SIGNIFICANCE

The National Science Foundation (NSF) was created in 1950. President Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10521 to support continued use of the NSF. In the shadow of the Cold War, the NSF emerged as the funding source for research that was conducted at U.S. colleges and universities. The NSF has become the major source of funding for social sciences, mathematics, and the computer sciences. The NSF has served as the clearinghouse of data in the United States and provides that data to governmental agencies. As such, the foundation monitors scientific progress within the United States and keeps with its mission to keep the United States at the forefront of research and development. In addition to providing a link between government and scientific research, the NSF has created education programs for all levels of education and has sought to foster international cooperation within the scientific community.

FURTHER RESOURCES

Web sites

American Association for the Advancement of Science. "Science and Public Policy." <http://www.aaas.org/spp/year-book/chap29.htm> (accessed May 17, 2006).

Issues in Science and Technology. "Rethinking what research government should fund." <http://www.issues.org/ 16.1/branscomb.htm> (accessed May 15, 2006).

National Science Foundation. "About the National Science Foundation." <http://www.nsf.gov/about/history/over view-50.jsp> (accessed May 17, 2006).