Science: Basic Director

Dr. Alan T. Waterman was appointed last week as first director of the National Science Foundation, whose principal job is to stimulate theoretical research. U.S. scientists were sure to cheer the choice. As chief civilian scientist in the Office of Naval Research, Dr. Waterman was largely responsible for the extraordinary respect which non-Government scientists feel toward ONR. Its ultimate objective was to develop weapons, but it did not limit itself to gadgeteering. Realizing that really new weapons can grow only from new theory, it encouraged all sorts of basic research, much of it far removed from direct weapons work.

Dr. Waterman got...

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