Evening star., 1941-11-25

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industrial experts OF the highest
rank. DR.. Charles F. Ketterlng,
president of General Motors Re-
search Corp, and himself a noted
inventor, is chairman of the coun-
Gil. The members of the council
have devoted themselves so un-
selfishly and so fruitfully to their
duties that they deserve to be named
and remembered. They are: George
Baekeland, vice president, the Bake
lite Corp; Rear Admiral Harold
G. Bowen, U. S. N: DR.. William
D. Coolidge, director of research
laboratories, General Electric Co.;
Watson Davis, managing editor,
Science Service; Dr. Frederick M
Feiker, dean of school of engineer
ing, George Washington University;
DR.. Webster N. Jones, director, COL
lege of engineering. Carnegie Instl-
tute Of Technology; Lawrence Lang
ner, patent lawyer; Brig. Gen.
Earl Mcfarland, Office of chief
of ordnance, War Department;
Thomas Midgley, jr., vice president.
Ethyl Gasoline Corp; DR.. Fin
Spare, Du Pont Corp; Maj. Gen.
w. H. Tschappat, U. S. A. retired);
DR.. Orville Wright and Fred M.
Zeder, vice chairman, Board OF Dl-
rectors, Chrysler Corp.
109 Suggestions a Day.
I am proud to be counted as one
Of their co-workers. Its permanent
staff, quartered in the Department
Of Commerce Building, is headed by
DR.. Thomas r. Taylor. In his corps
of co-workers are engineers fitted by
successful service in the important
fields of military inventions. The
councils function is to receive and
evaluate inventions and suggestions
submitted by civilians. and having
done that, to bring them to the at
tention of military and naval au-
thorities most vitally concerned.
Thus far more than $4,000 sug-
Restions have been received and con-
sidered by the council. They are
coming at the rate of 109 day. Ma
turally many of these ideas are fan
tastic and futile, but it is equally
true that a large number are po-
tentially and actually meritorious.
We of the council did not antici-
pate a large proportion OF practical,
effective inventions from these civil
ian sources, because the general in
ventor is unfamiliar with the war
like mechanism now available or
still to be supplied to the Army and
the Navy And there has been thus
far no ready means OF acquaintlng
these inventors with such needs
without incurring the danger OF dl-
vulging the facts to nations likely
to be hostile to the United States.
These civilian inventors are there
fore working in the dark. Never
theless, as I have said a goodly
number of inventions of definite
value to the Nations defense have
been furnished to the Government
through the council.
I take advantage of this occasion
to address this appeal to all who
have followed me thus far! Who
ever you are, wherever you dwell,
whatever your occupations, if you
have an invention or a suggestion
that will serve your country on
land or the sea or in the air, urge
that you at once submit it to the
National Inventors Council here IN
Washington. I give you my word
that your patriotic interest and con-
tribution will be appreciated and
have the most careful and compe-
tent consideration.
Priceless Assets in Crisis.
Further research and development
are requisite for the success OF
both immediate and long-range pro-
jects concerned with preparedness.
Under the Office of Emergency
Management the President erected
the Office of Scientific Research
and Development, the director of
which is DR.. Vannevar Bush, inter-
nationally known scientist and presi-
dent Of Carnegie Institute here in
Washington. Within this organ
ization is embraced the National
Defense Research Committee, whose
role is to assist and correlate scien-
tific investigation needed for the
evolvement and perfection Of mech
anisms of warfare; to aid and sup
plement experimentation and re-
search conducted by the War and
Navy Departments, and to prosecute
research for the creation and i'm
provement Of instrumentalities
methods and materials having de-
fensive usefulness.
The exceptional abilities and eX-
perience of the members of the Ma
tional Defense Research Committee
are priceless assets to the American
people in this crisis. DR.. James B.
Conant, president of Harvard Uni
versity, Is its chairman. His asSo-
ciates are DR.. Richard c. Tolman
of California Institute of Technol-
ogy, Capt. Librand P. Smith of the
Navy, DR.. Karl T. Compton, presi-
dent of Massachusetts, Institute OF
Technology; DR.. Frank B. Jewett,
president National Academy of Sci
ences; DR.. Roger Adams, head Of
department of chemistry, University
Of Illinois, and Maj Gen. R. c.
Moore. I also have membership in
the committee.
A brief summary of the activities
OF the National Defense Research
Committee in the last II months
will, I think, be of interest to you.
The committee consists of five divi-
sions, which are subdivided into so
sections. The personnel of these
sections includes experts who volun-
teer full time or part time to their
duties. A few of the aides are paid
by the Government.
The committee has over $50 diff