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• REF ID:A71926 • NO~E.S O!J A PROPOSED RESEARCH PROJECT AND SYMPOSitm 

18 Marc·h 1952'. 

It is orooosed that a symposium be ·e.atablish.ed during the 

summer of lb52-undel" the program of the Institute. for Numerical 

Analysis of the National Bureau of Standards loQated at the 

University of California at Los Angeles• The symposium will be 

mathematical in nature. It is intended 

1. ~o provide a oonvenient and ~ttraotive, but private, 

setting in ·which workers, most ot Whom have all"eady. been 

chosen, ·who have attacked problems in .. a r~eld of interest 

to the S~Onsor Of the sympos1wn may exchange information, 

ideas and results; .. 29 To provide a facility which may be used to·initinte a 

later constructive r~search effort, mathematical in nature, 

direotea toward solution on computing machines or otherwise 

of problems assigned as indicated below~ 

The agency sponsoring the symposium and possibly the later 

mathematical research is part of the Department of Defense. It 

is visualized that the symposium might be financed by this agency 

under a transfer of funds to the National Bureau of Standards; 

these funds would be used for salaries and expenses, inoluding computing expenses, but it might also happen that some of the 

efttioipants uould be supported by thei'P' own organizations during 

the symposilll!l. 

The sponsor will: 

l. Be the source of problems toward which the activities 

of the symposium (and, if it is later established, the 

mathematical research activity) will be directed; 

2. S9eoify some persona, all highly cleared, who will 

join the symposium and later, if it is sponsored, s~eoify 

some 9ersons who will join the mathematioal research project; 

3. Clear or reject olea~anoe on all other persons nominated 

as partioipa.nts in either of these activities; 

4. Furnish at least one technically trained member to monitor 

the symposium partioularly as regards information which may be furnished participants; 

s. Accept and utilize results; 

6. Finance the symposium; 

7. Attempt to set up a oontinuing mathematical research 

effort ·pi th the National Bureau of Standards looking to 

continuing use of some of the facilities of the Institute tor 

Numerical Analysis; 

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8, P:rovide tunds for any necessary computing at the 

Institute for Num.er1oal Analysis following th~ Symposium. 

Any transfer of funds between the Defense Department and the 

National Bureau of Standards for this symposium, the computing 

which might follow the symposium, or the later mathematical research activity which m1ght be set up will be likely to be 

through the Offioe of Naval Research. It this is the case» the 

scientific officer mon1to~1ng the transfer and the work done 

under the transfer will be the head of the Logistics Branoh ot 

'\ihe Off ice of Na. val Research. 

- A Special Committee Advising in Mathematics (to the Defense 

Department sponsor) will also have duties or assuring that important 

work is taken up at the Symposium (but more important, at the 

later continuing mathematical research project if it is set up). 

Presently SCAli consists of the following mathematicians: 

S. S. Cairns of the University of Illinois, H. T. Engstrom of the 

Engineering Research Associates, Incorporated, H. P. Robertson of 

the Department of Defense (shortly to be at the California 

Institute of Technology), Cla~d Shannon of the Bell Telephone Laboratories, c. Tompkins of the George Washington University (shortly to be at the National Bureau of Standards Institute for 

Numerical Analysis), and John iron Neumann of the Institute for 

Advanced Study. SOA1:1 is not subservient to the sponsor. It will 

1. Provide part of the staff of the symposium; 

2. Monitor assignments to the symposium and to the 

mathematical research project, if it is established, and 

learn results; 

3. Know the sponsor intimately and attempt to guarantee the importance of problems assigned as legitimate abstractions 

pertaining essentially to urgent problems; 

4. Assure the quiok and proper utilization o~ results 

ot the symposium or of the possible later ma'hematical 

research project by the sponsor and advise in this 

utilize.tion; 

5, Provide a leader for the symposium (Dr. s. s. Cairns 

oan serve in this oapaoity); 

6, Suggest participants in the symposium and, more 

important, in any continuing mathematioal research project and, if convenient, talk w1th these people about the 

problems to be attacked or their general nature; 

If the continuing mathematical research project is established, 

its leader will be added to SCAM if this is in any way feasible, 

and in any event SCAM will advise him. 

The National Bureau of Standards is expected to: 
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1. Provide at the Institute for Numerical Analysia a 

congenial mathematical background for the summer symposium 

during the summer of 1952; 

2. Provide any of the IN~ computing machinery which may 

be required in connection with the symposium with the 

understanding that the symposium will furnish programming, 

coding and, if necessary for -security, operation and that 

the Bureau of Standards will provide maintenance and 

required operation; 

3. Provide private but not necessarily plush space for 

'the symposium (about eight to ten members) with conference s~ace 1 desks, blackboards and other appropriate furniGhings; 

4. Beek personnel as required and contract with them; 

5. Oarpy out computing required as a result of the 

symposium on machinery at INA after the symposium has 

terminated; 

6. Try to initiate the con .. ..;inu~ng mathematical research 

project in a way which ~ill permit this project to use the 

de.esirable aesats ot INA 'bJ interchange of personnel and 

equipment on a part time basis, the mutual gain of an 

enlarged mathematical atmonphsra, eto. 

It should be pointed out that the ohoioe of agencies participating in the proposed program is based on oaretul study 

and that none is easily replacable by another agency without 

some expected lose. There was no choice or the sponsor, ot 

course, since that is where the problems originate. 

The Office or Naval Research is the part ot the Department 

ot Defense most familiar with ~esearch ot this type, meet 

expePienced in its produotion. 

The mathemat1oiana making up SCAM have already served in an 

adviaory capacity to the sponsor. SCAM is the eet or mathema- ~io1ans of a group in whom a great investment in clearanoe and ~duoation has already been made. 

INA is unique in having provided a congenial atmosphere. 

in which directed and tree research related to numerical analysis 

has been successfully conducted under government sponaorohip. 

It has been selected by the Office of Naval Research as the 

principal center or research sponsored by the Navy in numerioal 

analysis and related fields. At INA the Bureau or Standards 

possesses experience and equipment tor computing which can be 

duplicated at few other places. The position of the INA branch 

of the Bureau of Standards on the UCLA oampus provides a 

pleasant setting1 professionally and in living conditions, which 

will be importan~ in attracting desired workers either during 
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the summer months, during sabbatical leave years· oi permanently. ~his location is central tor much numerical analysis bY. aircraft interests, computing rr.achine manufacturers and others. 

The a.dminfatration of the NBS applied mathematics division 

has provi-ded protecti'on froin uudue interference tiiri th 1 ts 

workers in the past and it has been successful in getting good results from its workers. A contract now in existence with 

UCLA will permit utilization of some of the University fa~ilities 

where they are best applied to the symposium or the later 

research. It is likely to be able to secure adequate arrangements in a congenial and large mathematical atmosphere. It 

has energetic direction of Dr. John H. Curtiss of the. A~plied 

Mathematics Division or the NBS and in Los Angeles the presence 

of' Dr. D. H. Lehmer, the director of research there. Dr. Curtlss 

has been successful in recruiting competent personnel for the 

NBS •. Dr. Lehmer is one of the wcrld 1 s outstanding number 

theorists, and as such he ifJ potent.:.t=i.lly of tl"'emendous value 

to the continuing program proposed. He 11 experienced in many ot~er fields, including computing, which would bear fruitfully 

on the problems envisaged. 

c. B. Tompkins.