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HEARING

BEFORE THE

DMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION

ru

OF THE

1-R

COMMITTEE ON

JFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE

SE OF REPRESENTATIVES

EIGHTY-NINTH CONGRESS

SECOND SESSION

ON

H.R. 15727

A BILL TO ESTABLISH RATES OF COMPENSATION FOR CERTAIN POSITIONS WITHIN THE SMITHSONIAN

INSTITUTION

AUGUST 17, 1966

Printed for the use of the Committee on Post Office and Civil Service

40"

• 'U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE

67 653 WASHINGTON : 1966
COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE

TOM MURRAY, Tennessee, Chairman

JAMES H. MORRISON, Louisiana, Vice Chairman

THADDEUS J. DULSKI, New York

DAVID N. HENDERSON, North Carolina

ARNOLD OLSEN, Montana

MORRIS K. UDALL, Arizona

DOMINICK V. DANIELS, New Jersey

LINDLEY BECKWORTH, Texas

ROBERT N. C. NIX, Pennsylvania

JOE R. POOL, Texas

WILLIAM J. GREEN, Pennsylvania

SPARK M. MATSUNAGA, Hawaii

PAUL J. KREBS, New Jersey

RAYMOND F. CLEVENGER, Michigan

JAMES M. HANLEY, New York

JOHN V. TUNNEY, California

CHARLES H. WILSON, California

JEROME R. WALDIE, California

CHARLES E. JOHNSON, Staff Director

B. BENTON BRAY, Associate Staff Director

JOHN H. MARTINY, Counsel

WILLIAM A. IRVINE, Assistant Staff Director

THEODORE J. KAZY, Senior Staff Assistant

ROBERT J. CORBETT, Pennsylvania

H. R. GROSS, Iowa

GLENN CUNNINGHAM, Nebraska

EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, Illinois

ROBERT F. ELLSWORTH, Kansas

ALBERT W. JOHNSON, Pennsylvania

JOHN H. BUCHANAN, JR., Alabama

JAMES T. BROYHILL, North Carolina

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION

MORRIS K. UDALL, Arizona, Chairman

JAMES H. MORRISON, Louisiana

ARNOLD OLSEN, Montana

JOE R. POOL, Texas

SPARK M. MATSUNAGA, Hawaii

PAUL J. KREBS, New Jersey

Ex Officio Voting Members

TOM MURRAY, Tennessee ROBERT J. CORBETT, Pennsylvania

II

JAMES T. BROYHILL, North Carolina

EDWARD J. DERWINSKI, Illinois

ROBERT F. ELLSWORTH, Kansas
CONTENTS

Statements of—

Bow, Hon. Frank T., a Representative in Congress from the State of Page

Ohio 8

Bradley, James, Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 3

Jones, Roger W., Special Assistant to the Director, Bureau of the

Budget 8

Communications received from—

Macy, Hon. John W., Jr., Chairman, U.S. Civil Service Commission,

letter dated August 16, 1966 3

Ripley, S. Dillon, Secretary, Smithsonian Institution, letter dated

June 23, 1966 2

Rommel, Wilfred H., Assistant Director for Legislative Reference,

Bureau of the Budget, letter dated June 29, 1966 2

III

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 1966

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON COMPENSATION OF THE

COMMITTEE ON POST OFFICE AND CIVIL SERVICE,

Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice. at 10 a.m. in room 346,

Cannon House Office Building, Hon. Morris K. Udall (subcommittee

chairman) presiding.

Mr. UDALL. The Sucommittee on Compensation will come to order.

The meeting this morning is called for the consideration of H.R.

15727, the Smithsonian Institution Executive Salary Act.

The purpose of the bill is to establish four positions in the Smithsonian Institution under a statutory executive salary schedule comparable

to the levels of salary provided by law for positions in other Federal

agencies.

Two positions at level IV of the Federal Salary schedule would be

established for the Assistant Secretary for Science and the Assistant

Secretary for History and Art, respectively. The two positions of

Director of the National Museum and Director of the Astrophysical

Observatory would be fixed at level V.

Specifically, the bill would provide that the rates of compensation

for these four senior positions in the Smithsonian Institution be

comparable to the rates of compensation provided for positions at

levels IV and V of the Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964.

The bill, H.R. 15727, will be printed in the record at this point

so that we will have the formal text of the bill before us in the hearings.

And, without objection, the letter from the Smithsonian Institution

of June 23, 1966, signed by Mr. S. Dillon Ripley, Secretary of the

Smithsonian Institution, the letter signed by Mr. Wilfred H. Rommel

of the Bureau of the Budget, dated June 29, 1966 and the letter of

Chairman John W. Macy, Jr., of the -U.S. Civil Service Commission

of August 16, 1966, commenting on the bill, will be made a part of

the record.

(The documents referred to follow:)

[H.R. 15727, 89th- Cong., 2d sess.]

A BILL To establish rates of compensation for certain positions within the Smithsonian Institution

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of

America in Congress assembled, That this Act shall be known as the "Smithsonian

Institution Executive Salary Act".

SEC. 2. (a) The rate of compensation for the following positions within the

Smithsonian Institution shall be the rate provided for level IV of the Federal

Executive Salary Schedule under section 303(d) of the Federal Executive Salary

Act of 1964:

(1) Assistant Secretary for Science; and

(2) Assistant Secretary for History and Art.

1
2 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT

(h) The rate of compensation for the following positions within the Smithsonian

Institution shall be the rate provided for level V of the Federal Executive Salary

Schedule under section 303(s) of the Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964:

(1) Director, United States National Museum; and

(2) Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION,

Washington, D.C., June 28, 1966.

Hon. Tom MURRAY,

Chairman, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service,

U.S. House of Representatives,

Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. MURRAY: On June 15, 1966, Representative Frank T. Bow, on

behalf of the Board of Regents of the Smithsonian Institution, introduced H.R.

15727, a bill "To establish rates of compensation for certain positions within the

Smithsonian Institution," which was referred to your Committee. The report

of the Smithsonian Institution on H.R. 15727 is hereby presented for your information and consideration.

This legislation, to be known as the "Smithsonian Institution Executive Salary

Act," would establish salary levels for certain senior positions (under the Civil

Service) comparable to the levels provided by law for positions in other agencies.

Specifically, it would provide that (1) the rate of compensation for the Assistant

Secretary for Science and the Assistant Secretary for History and Art be the rate

provided for level IV of the Federal Executive Salary Schedule under section

303(d) of the Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964; and (2) the rate of compensation for the Director, United States National Museum, and the Director,

Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, be the rate provided for level V of the

Federal Executive Salary Schedule under section 303(e) of the Federal Executive

Salary Act of 1964.

The Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964 provides five levels of compensation

above grade GS-18 ($25,382). The Institution has been unsuccessful in obtaining inclusion in this Act or in obtaining any of the limited number of optional

appointments for its employees.

The expanded programs of the Smithsonian Institution in the sciences, in history, in the arts, and in education, as well as the vast amount of planning and

scheduling necessary for the Smithsonian museums and galleries, place a premium on the quality of leadership. To make the most effective use of our resources, it is essential that every proposal be carefully weighed against every other

commitment in terms of its potential benefits in the furtherance of the purposes of

the Institution. The quality of these judgments and the ability to follow through

effectively on decisions taken will depend on the calibre of individual we can attract

to our top echelon positions; and in order for the incumbents of these positions to

have the stature and influence both within and without the Government, they

should have the same rank, prestige, and compensation as comparable positions in

the Executive departments.

Enactment of this legislation would make the compensation for these positions

commensurate with their responsibilities, and would be a significant step in enabling the Smithsonian Institution to fulfill the larger role visualized in the advancement of the science, art, and culture of the American people. We therefore request that favorable consideration be given to H.R. 15727.

We are advised that there is no objection from the standpoint of the Administration's program to the submission of this report to the Congress.

Sincerely yours,

S. DILLON RIPLEY, Secretary.

EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT,

BUREAU OF THE BUDGET,

Washington, D.C., June 29, 1966.

Hon. Tom MURRAY,

Chairman, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, House of Representatives,

Cannon House Office Building, Washington, D.C.

DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: Reference is made to the Committee's request for the

views of the Bureau of the Budget respecting H.R. 15727, "To establish rates of

compensation for certain positions within the Smithsonian Institution."

The purpose of the bill is to establish a statutory executive salary schedule for

four positions in the Smithsonian Institution.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT 3

Two positions of Assistant Secretary in the Institution (Science, and History

and Art, respectively), would be established at the rate for Level IV of the Federal

Executive Salary Schedule, $27,000. The other two positions—Director of the

National Museum and Director of the Astrophysical Observatory—would be

established at the rates for Level V of the Federal Executive Salary Schedule,

$26,000.

There would be no objection from the standpoint of the Administration's

program to enactment of the subject bill.

Sincerely yours,

WILFRED H. ROMMEL,

Assistant Director for Legislative Reference.

Hon. Tom MURRAY,

Chairman, Committee on Post Office and Civil Service,

House of Representatives,

Cannon House Office Building.

DEAR CHAIRMAN MURRAY: This is in response to your request for the Commission's views on H.R. 15727, a bill "To establish rates of compensation for

certain positions within the Smithsonian Institution."

Section 2(a) of the bill would fix the compensation of the positions of Assistant

Secretary (Science) and Assistant Secretary (History and Art) at the rate for

Level IV ($27,000) of the Federal Executive Salary Schedule. Section 2(b) of

the bill would fix the compensation of the positions of Director, National 1VIuseum,

and Director, Astrophysical Observatory, at Level V ($26,000) of the Federal

Executive Salary Schedule.

The Commission has no objection to H.R. 15727.

The Bureau of the Budget advises that from the standpoint of the Administration's program there is no objection to the submission of this report.

By direction of the Commission:

Sincerely yours,

U.S. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION,

Washington, D.C., August 16, 1966.

JOHN W. MACY, Jr., Chairman.

Mr. UDALL. The first witness scheduled for this morning is Mr.

James Bradley, Assistant Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. Bradley, if you will come forward, we will be pleased to hear from

you.

STATEMENT OF JAMES BRADLEY, ASSISTANT SECRETARY,

SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION

Mr. BRADLEY. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

On behalf of the Secretary, Mr. Ripley, who is out of the city at

the present time, I appreciate the opportunity to present to you the

support of the Smithsonian for H.R. 15727, which would provide for

the establishment of an executive salary schedule for the Institution.

As the chairman has stated, the bill would provide that four of our

executive positions be paid at salary levels directly comparable to

the levels established in the Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964

for positions in other agencies.

The salaries of these four positions are paid from appropriated

funds.

The Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964 provides five levels of

compensation above grade GS-18 ($25,890). The Institution was

not included in the 1964 act and has not obtained any of the limited

number of optional appointments for its officers by Presidential

action.
4 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT

The quality of the Smithsonian's programs is a direct reflection of

the quality of its professional staff. Attracting and maintaining such

a quality requires competitive salaries, benefits, and working conditions. The growing demand for highly educated and trained persons in positions of responsibility throughout the world of scholarleaders threatens to outstrip the available supply. The Assistant

Secretaries, the Director of the U.S. National Museum, and the Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory must be more

than capable administrators. They must possess those qualities

which will inspire other scholars to work with them. The Smithsonian must compete at every level with the rapidly increasing number of colleges and universities in this country and an expanding array

of. corporate and governmental research organizations whose salary

scales outstrip our own. If the Smithsonian is to perform its special

educational and research role as a unique institution of the highest

quality, we must be able to confront this competition.

The establishment of an executive salary scale for the senior positions within the Smithsonian will help us strengthen and maintain

the quality of the company of scholars, who are the Institution.

The two Assistant Secretary positions that would be placed on pay

level IV by this bill can be compared in rank and stature to the

Assistant Secretary positions in other agencies. A review of positions

in level IV of the Execituve Pay Act indicates that this is the level to

which positions of Assistant Secretary in most of the executive departments are assigned.

A further comparison of the Smithsonian Assistant Secretaries

might be made with positions in the field of education since the

Smithsonian is an educational institution and similar in almost every

respect to a large university. In a university complex the two

Smithsonian Assistant Secretaries would be considered the dean of

science and the dean of humanities. A review of data in the National

Education Study Research Report 1966—R2, "Salaries in Higher

Education 1965-66," reveals that in 14 large public universities, the

salaries paid to undergraduate deans ranged from $25,000 to $28,999.

This bill also provides that the Director of the U.S. National

Museum and the Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory be placed in level V in the Executive Salary Schedule. The

Director of the U.S. National Museum is responsible for the administration and operation of two of the largest and finest museums in the

country. The responsibility assigned to this position is probably

comparable to or greater than any other museum director in the

world. A sampling of salaries paid to museum directors in 1964

revealed that seven museum directors throughout the United States

had salaries that ranged from $25,000 to $40,000, plus fringe benefits

greater than those available to Federal officers. It is reasonable to

expect that these salaries have increased since that time.

The position of Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory is responsible for directing a broad dynamic program of research

that includes astrophysical studies from cosmology and stellar theory

to meteroritics and celestial mechanics. We have been advised by

the National Science Foundation that the salaries of the directors of

Kitt Peak National Observatory in Tucson, Ariz., and the National

Radio Astronomy Observatory in Green Bank, W. Va., are $30,000 per

year. Both of these installations are administered under the National
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT 5

Science Foundation contracts. We have also been advised that the

director's salary of the Harvard College Observatory is $30,000.

It is our opinion that the Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical

Observatory has responsibilities that are commensurate with these

positions and in addition the Astrophysical Observatory contributes

more than its share to science and to education in the United States.

The Smithsonian Institution is in the midst of an unprecedented

expansion which began with the planning and construction of the new

Museum of History and Technology and with the major additions of

scientific laboratories to the Museum of Natural History. The historic

Patent Office Building has been extensively restored and renovated and

during the next year will become the home of the recently authorized

National Portrait Gallery and the National Collection of Fine Arts.

The National Zoological Park has reached the midpoint of a 12-year

capital improvement program which will greatly enhance its objective,

"the advancement of science and the instruction and recreation of the

people." The recently authorized National Air and Space Museum

has been completely planned and when constructed will become a,

center for exhibition and histofical research in air and space exploration and science. The National Armed Forces Museum Advisory

Board is carrying out the direction of the Congress in preparation for

the presentation of the contributions of the Armed Forces to the

Nation in peace and in war.

In addition to these greatly expanded activities, the workload Of

the Smithsonian Institution is rapidly increasing in other respects

as a result of a critical reevaluation of the role of this Institution

in the advancement of science and the humanities in our national

life. We have entered into discussions with other agencies of Government and private associations and institutions to explore means by

which we can fruitfully enlarge and enrich the quality of our educational, scientific, and cultural contributions. As a necessary concomitant we are attempting to strengthen our ties with numerous

private associations and individuals throughout the country who have

contributed so much to Smithsonian activities throughout our history.

Our self-evaluation has stimulated proposals for new undertakings

from without, as well as within the Institution.

In the field of art, our proposals include a community exhibits

program, utilizing both artmobiles and crated exhibits; special assistance to Government art projects, including care and preservation of

art in the embassies and the White House; a program for the encouragement of art through matching funds, scholarships, and the stimulation of Government agencies to commission good art; and a cooperative program with the National Park Service for the development

of the Mall through such means as sculpture, gardens, concerts, and

other attractions.

In the field of education we are developing plans for cooperating

with the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities; providing advisory service in the selection and award of grants to foreign

and American scholars in fields of interest to us; initiating experimental studies in the psychology and effectiveness of museum exhibits; undertaking the administration of grants to support archeological work from counterpart funds in other countries; initiating

the establishment of a center for advanced study in the original

Smithsonian Building and arranging for visiting instructor and exchange programs with universities and other museums.
7

6 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT

In the fields of science, we are undertaking the establishment of

research stations or conference centers at sites already bequeathed

or offered for such purposes to the Institution; biological surveys of

areas under consideration for economic development which might

reduce the area of natural habitat of living creatures or upset the

balance of nature; and arranging scientific conferences, exchange

programs, and similar activities.

This partial list of current proposals coupled with the construction,

staffing, and equipping of the new museums and art galleries and the

continuing work of the established organizations, leads to the vastly

increased workload and changed management responsibilities which

are the basis of this request. This increase has been assimilated with

a comparatively modest increase in staff. Employees have risen to

the challenge to do more with less and to demonstrate their versatility

and adaptability in meeting new demands.

These unprecedented demands do, however, place a premium on

the quality of leadership. To make the most effective use of our

resources, it is essential that every proposal be carefully weighed

against every other commitment in terms of its potential benefits in

the furtherance of the purposes of this Institution. The quality of

these judgments and the ability to follow through effectively on decisions taken will depend on the caliber of individual we can attract

to our top echelon positions.

For these reasons I most respectfully urge the committee to accord

this legislation its favorable consideration.

Thank you, sir.

Mr. UDALL. Thank you, Mr. Bradley. I think you have made a

very compelling case for the enactment of H.R. 15727 and, speaking

for every member of this committee present at this time, I think you

have a fine piece of legislation. I cannot quarrel with anything you

have said.

For the record it might be well to develop a little background of the

Institution. This is an Institution of Government established by

Congress?

Mr. BRADLEY. Yes, sir; in 1846.

Mr. UDALL. In 1846. Are you under any of the Cabinet departments? Is Smithsonian governed by its own board? What are the

lines of command?

Mr. BRADLEY. The line of command is almost directly to the Congress. We are not a part of any independent agency or of the Cabinet

departments. The Smithsonian is governed by a Board of Regents

which is comprised of 14 members. Three are from the House of

Representatives and three from the Senate. The three Senators are

Senators Saltonstall, Anderson, and Fulbright; and the three Representatives are Mr. Mahon, Mr. Kirwan, and Mr. Frank Bow. The

Chief Justice of the United States serves ex officio on the Board, as

does the Vice President of the United States. In addition, there are

six distinguished noncongressional members also.

Mr. UDALL. What is the approximate size of your total staff and

total payroll?

Mr. BRADLEY. The total number of employees approximates 2,600.

The operating appropriation is $22.5 million and the total Federal

payroll is approximately $13 million.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT 7

Mr. UDALL. What grades of positions are you now authorized at

your top administrative and executive level? Your top position is at

what level, and then those under that position?

Mr. BRADLEY. The Secretary, as the principal administrator in the

Institution, is not paid from appropriated funds but he is paid at the

level of Cabinet rank, $35,000. I am next in line. As Assistant

Secretary, I am at the level of $27,500, just about the level of other

Assistant Secretaries throughout the Government.

Beneath we have at the present time four grade 18 positions, and

they are the four we are discussing here this morning. In all in the

supergrade bracket, grades 16, 17, and 18, we have 24 positions that

have been authorized by the Civil Service Commission. In addition

we have several other positions at a rank comparable to grade 18.

In one case, the Director of the National Portrait Gallery, is by statute at that level, and the Director of the Freer Gallery of Art, who is

paid by endowment, is at the rate of a grade 18. We have tried to

hold comparability with the Federal Executive Salary Act.

Mr. UDALL. The purpose of this bill is to take the four positions

which are now grade 18's and place two of them at level IV and two

at level V of the Federal Executive Salary Schedule?

Mr. Bradley. Yes.

Mr. UDALL. Would the language of the bill continue to give you the

same number of grade 18 positions or supergrade positions or will these

four be deducted from the supergrades you have?

Mr. BRADLEY. I think the latter would be the case, Mr. Chairman,

because the approval or assignment of all supergrade positions, once

any change occurs, must go back to the Civil Service Commission. I

think the future will find us contending for these same four grade 18

positions with no advantage over other contending agencies.

Mr. BROYHILL. Mr. Chairman, do I understand his answer to your

question to be that he would not fill these four grade 18 positions?

Mr. BRADLEY. I think we would not have the positions to fill. If

we get the two level IV and the two level V positions in lieu of the

four grade 18's, I think the four grade 18's would have to go back to

the Civil Service Commission for assignment in the Government at

large.

Mr. BROYHILL. You will try to keep them?

Mr. BRADLEY. We will try very hard but if we get four positions at

the top levels of IV and V, we probably cannot hold on to these four

grade 18's.

Mr. UDALL. Does the gentleman from North Carolina have any

further questions?

Mr. BROYHILL. Does the chairman intend to hear from the Civil

Service Commission?

Mr. UDALL. Yes, the next witness.

Thank you very much, Mr. Bradley.

Mr. BRADLEY. Thank you, sir.

Mr. UDALL. Without objection, the statement dated August 17 by

our distinguished colleague, Mr. Frank Bow, author of this bill, will

appear at this point as though read in full. Mr. Bow, who will fully

support the legislation, was unable to be here this morning.
8 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT

STATEMENT OF HON. FRANK T. BOW, A REPRESENTATIVE IN

CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF OHIO

Mr. Bow. Mr. Chairman, this legislation would establish salary

levels for certain senior positions within the Smithsonian Institution

comparable to the levels provided by law for positions in other

agencies. Specifically, it would provide that (1) the rate of compensation for the Assistant Secretary for Science and the Assistant Secretary for History and Art be the rate provided for level IV of the

Federal Executive Salary Schedule under section 303(d) of the Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964; and (2) the rate of compensation

for the, Director, U.S. National Museum, and the Director, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, be the rate provided for level V of

the Federal Executive Salary Schedule under section 303(e) of the

Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964.

The Federal Executive Salary Act of 1964 provides five levels of

compensation above grade GS-18 ($25,382). The Institution has

been unsuccessful in obtaining inclusion in this act or in obtaining

any of the limited number of optional appointments for its employees.

The expanded programs of the Smithsonian Institution in the

sciences, in history, in the arts, and in education as well as the vast

amount of planning and scheduling necessary for the Smithsonian

museums and galleries, place a premium on the quality of leadership.

To make the most effective use of our resources, it is essential that

every proposal be carefully weighed against every other commitment

in terms of its potential benefits in the furtherance of the purposes

of the Institution. The quality of those judgments and the ability

to follow through effectively on decisions taken will depend on the

caliber of individual we can attract to our top echelon positions;

and in order for the incumbents of these positions to have the stature

and influence both within and without the Government, they should

have the same rank, prestige, and compensation as comparable

positions in the executive departments.

Enactment of this legislation would make the compensation for

these positions commensurate with their responsibilities, and would

be a significant step in enabling the Smithsonian Institution to fulfill

the larger role visualized in the advancement of the science, art, and

culture of the American people.- I therefore request that favorable

consideration be given to this legislation.

Mr. UDALL. The next witness is Mr. Roger W. Jones, Special Assistant to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget. Mr. Jones, we

are glad to have you appear before the subcommittee again.

STATEMENT OF ROGER W. JONES, SPECIAL ASSISTANT TO THE

DIRECTOR, BUREAU OF THE BUDGET

Mr. JONES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I do not have a prepared statement. My purpose in coming this

morning on behalf of the Bureau of the Budget and also on behalf

of the Civil Service Commission is to give the committee a little of

the history that lies back of this bill and the reason the administration authorized the Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution to

forward it as an administration measure.
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT 9

The original Federal executive salary table established some years

ago did not have in it any positions for the Smithsonian Institution.

Mr. UDALL. May I inquire if that was deliberate or an oversight?

Mr. JONES. No, when the original Executive Salary Act was

enacted, my understanding is there was no request from the Smithsonian for inclusion in that schedule. When the Executive Salary

Act was redone in 1964, it was the belief of the executive branch that

the Smithsonian was entitled to consideration, but it was also the

feeling that because of the very particular relationship of the Smithsonian to the Congress and the membership of Members of Congress

on the Board of Regents, and because of the fact the Smithsonian

had not hitherto appeared in the Executive Salary Schedule, the

Congress might well wish to review this matter and initiate legislation

on behalf of the Smithsonian.

The chairman will recall that in the Executive Salary Act of 1964

the President was given authority to designate certain positions for

assignment to levels IV and V. The Smithsonian, in a series of

discussions with the Bureau of the Budget and the Civil Service

Commission, proposed Presidential action to designate these four

positions by Executive order. Again, after reviewing this with the

Secretary of the Smithsonian, we requested that the Secretary refer

the entire matter of salary levels in the Smithsonian to the Board of

Regents, ask them to review it and to come up with a recommendation for action. This was done, and by unanimous vote of the Board

of Regents about 7 months ago the Board recommended that a

separate piece of legislation be introduced, based on the facts I stated

before, particularly the unique relationship of the Smithsonian to the

Congress.

The President approved this recommendation and authorized us

to work with the Smithsonian on the presentation of the legislation.

The bill was introduced in the House by Mr. Bow, a member of the

Board of Regents, and on the other side by Senator Saltonstall,

also a member of the Board of Regents.

The Civil Service Commission and the Bureau of the Budget

jointly reviewed the top positions in Smithsonian and came to the

conclusion that these positions, particularly at the present time,

were at the levels requested. We support the legislation that is

before you.

It was also our request that the Smithsonian examine the relationship between these positions and the positions to which Mr. Bradley

referred that are maintained on what is known as the private roll,

the endowment roll, going back to the original Smithson bequest

over 100 years ago.

It might have been possible, of course, Mr Chairman, to take

Presidential action, but it was our very strong belief that the relationship which I have mentioned made it desirable to present this to the

Congress for the Congress to review and to take legislative action.

That concludes my statement except for one additional matter

which the committee may be interested in. Not only did we review

the level of the duties of these four positions but we also looked at the

qualifications and background, the status and standing of the top

staff of the Smithsonian Institution. I think I am correct in saying

that in three of these positions we have very distinguished men, men

of almost unique stature and standing in the museum world and in the
10 SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION EXECUTIVE SALARY ACT

world of science and the humanities. The positions will be held by

truly outstanding gentlemen. The fourth position at the moment,

I believe, is vacant, the Assistant Secretary for History, and if this

legislation is enacted we are certain this will assist Secretary Ripley

very much in finding a qualified man for that position.

Mr. UDALL. Do you concur with Mr. Bradley as to the effect of

this legislation on the four grade 18's?

Mr. JONES. Yes, I do. These jobs will go back in the pool. Then

Smithsonian will become one of the applicants for consideration in

any redistribution that is made of the positions. I think it is correct

to say that there are other positions in the Smithsonian which require

and merit full consideration by the Commission as candidates for the

reallocation of these positions.

Mr. UDALL. Does the gentleman from North Carolina have any

questions?

Mr. BROYHILL. There will be no upgrading of any other employees

to higher positions as a result of this legislation?

Mr. JONES. Not automatically, no. There are other positions in

the Smithsonian which the Civil Service Commission would be requested to review as to the appropriate job level, and if the jobs

are allocated in grade 18 on that review, then the Smithsonian would

be one of the applicants considered when the positions are reallocated.

The Commission must look at the entire spectrum of positions whenever we have a new allocation of positions, and everybody goes in

the same competitive pool, looking at the Government as a whole.

Mr. UDALL. Thank you, Mr. Jones. We appreciate having your

comments on this legislation.

Mr. JONES. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. UDALL. There are no other witnesses scheduled this morning

and this will conclude the public hearing on the legislation.

The chairman had hoped we might have a quorum this morning

and take some executive action, but since we do not have enough

members to do this, we will attempt to get a quorum together at a

later date and act on the bill.

The subcommittee will stand at recess subject to the call of the

Chair.

(Thereupon, at 10:40 a.m., the subcommittee adjourned.)

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