Evening star., 1941-07-08
Of Stors, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress
In Laboratory. Field
And Study
Bu Thomas r. Henry.

Early in the war there was much talk
of German secret weapons"
Jubilant American "bundists," in Hol-
| land after a summer of propaganda
training in the fatherland and waiting
for ships to get home where they could
nut their education to practical use,
reported enthusiastically that Hitler had
| several mechanisms in reserve with
which he could destroy England any day
| he pleased.
The only reason he did not use them,
| thev reported, was because he had such
| a tender heart but they could not
promise how long the great idealist
| would be able to hold out against his
| less scrupulous military leaders.
| This, of course. was all part of the
war of nerves. The only real secret
weapon" was the whispering campaign.
Since the beginning of the war the
| Germans have not produced anything
which was not known, in general prin-
ciple at least, to everybody else. But
| their scientists have been busy perfect
ing old ideas and this work has con-
stituted a very considerable factor in
the successes of the armies.
But here in Washington a dynamic,
two-tisted electrical engineer stands on
the frontier of modern war in a Job
unique in history.
He is essentially co-ordinator of the
constructive brains of American and
itoi, thpy
new defenses and new medicines to
combat Hitler.
This man is DR.. Vannevar Bush, presi-
dent Of the Carnegie Institution of
Washington, director Of the new Office
of scientific research and development
President Roosevelt.
He promises no secret weapon" The
likelihood of something brand new in the
world actually is quite remote. Miracles,
of course may happen.
just at present DR.. Bush seems more
concerned with weapons which. for the
most part will not be secret at all and
which. even in an actual state of war,
proba bly, would be made available to the
enemy-medical and surgical methods of
saving lives of the wounded.
A major part Of his Job is ito indicate
ana support such scientific and medical
research as may be requested by the
Government of any country whose de-
fenSe the Government deems vital to
the defense of the United States and to
serve as central liaison officer for the
conduct OF such scientific and medical
research for such countries
He is authorized to mobilize the
brains Of the United States, TO call on
all the research facilities of the Gov
eminent and all the universities and in
dustrial Laboratories TO develop 10 the
utmost any idea that seems promising
TO him and his associates.
England, DR.. Bush says. already is
calling on the United States more and
more to carry on essential research work,
especially in medicine. 1t can be done
better in the calmer atmosphere which
exists here. An American scientific
Office was set up in London few weeks
ago by President Conant OF Harvard
University, who will work with DR.. Bush,
although retaining his present position
Also British scientific mission has been
set up in Washington.
Naturally the war has brought a
tremendous upsurge of new ideas, both
in England and America. Some are
obviously impractical. Others promise,
when properly developed, to be of great
importance. One function of his Office.
DR.. Bush says, will be to see that there
is no lag between the development of
an idea and its application Ordinarily
several years intervene between an in
vention or research development and its
actual use in warfare or industry. This
is the case even in medicine where life
saving drugs and methods of treatment
require some time to reach the rank
and-file of physicians.
Now all this lag must be condensed
into few weeks-for Germany does
not wait. The British have made re-
| markable progress in this direction. Dr.
Bush says, and there is an almost direct
transition from the laboratory to the
battlefield. One of the most dramatic
instances of this in both countries is the
case of dried blood plaSma for trans
fusions, which already has saved many
lives. Less than six months ago the
IDEA was almost non-existent. Ordinarily
it would be at least three years before
plasma tranSfusions became a COM
monplace of medical practise.
There are other striking instances in
aviation, where an improvement must
actually be in the skies in a few weeks.
All this requires feverish activity.
Intensive research work in many fields
already is in progress under the direc-
ton Of Dr.. Bush and his colleagues. The
foremost physicists. chemists and physi-
ologists of the United States are work.
ing night and day.
Naturally most of this work is kept
in the utmost secrecy. Out of it may