Evening star., 1953-04-17
Standards Bureau
May Lose 1876
If Astin Leaves
tContinued From First Page.) }

again that the chemical is nj
good when used under ordinary
circumstances.
Secretary Weeks and Mr.
Sheaffer late yesterday held 6
surprise two-hour meeting with
the bureaus formal Visiting
Committee. Neither Secretary
Weeks nor the committee mem.
bers would talk about details ot
the session except to. say thai
the case of DR.. AStin was amone
the topics discussed.
Said Secretary Weeks: "a.
soon as I'm ready, I'll tell you
the whole story"
Mr.. Sheaffer helped protect
committee members from ques-
tioning reporters. Mr.. Sheaffel
wagged a finger at one eager re-
porter and said. Nov just 8
minute"
DR.. NJ. J. Kelly, president OF
the Bell Telephone Laboratories
and a committee member, said
the group was not asked to ap-
prove DR.. Astin's removal. He
added: II assume that the kind
Of people we are, We would not
do such a thing"
The four committee members
who met with Secretary Weeks
refused to comment when called
today by The Star. They are
DR.. Kelly, Prof. D. H. Menzel
of Harvard Observatory, DR.. j.
H. Van Week of the Harvard
department of physics and Prof.
r. F. Mehl of the Carnegie In
stitute of Technology in Pitts
burgh. A fifth member, DR.. D.
w. Bronx of Johns Hopkins
University. did not attend the
meeting with Secretary Weeks.
Two more scientific journals
Science magazine and the Chem
ical and Engineering News-car-
ried articles sympathetic to DR..
AStin.
The United Democratic Clubs
of Maryland, meeting in Bal
timore, passed a resolution
asking Senate and House COM
mittees on small business to
intervene. And Senator Mar
garet Chase Smith, Republican,
of Maine. asked Secretary Weeks
to delay DR.. Astin's removal.
Group Urges Delay.
The Association of Computing
Machinery, representing 1000
members, telegraphed Gen. Eisen-
hover and Secretary Weeks to
postpone the dismissal until after
Congress investigates. The as
Sociation added: "Action which
seems to subject Government sci
entists and engineers to political
pressure will undermine the con-
fldence of the public in the i'm
partiality of agencies like the
National Bureau of Standards.
Vincent P. Smith, president of
the District of Columbia section
of the American Society of Civil
Engineers wrote to Gen. EiSen-
hover:
1--WE urge that the five-man
Bureau of Standards Visiting
Committee and the special COM
mittee recently designated by
Secretary Weeks undertake in
Vestigations promptly.
1T is important that scientists
and engineers be free to carry
on their work effectively, with
out fear of commercial or politi-
cal pressure, and we believe that
the results of this investigation
will restore public confidence. :"
Consumers Research, Inc,
which runs tests to help guide
consumer buying, commented:
That the director of an emf
nently respected scientific body
should be fired because the
scientific findings of the bureau
which he headed were politically
unacceptable is absolutely with
out precedent in the annals of
United States governmental ad-
ministration, and there are
bound to be most unhappy con-
sequences for the services of the
Government that affect the con-
sumner.
I'm the storm of protest that
has arisen, an enormous amount
of public education is taking
place regarding the need for
complete independence of Scien-
tif1c research institution from
any political control whatever
over their findings and publica-
tions."
The Refrigeration Trade Asso-
citation announced today that it's
executive committee by unani-
nous vote "in the interest of
scientific integrity indorses a full
and prompt hearing for DR.. Astin
and the National Bureau of
Standards. The announcement
came from C. w. Phillips, presi-
dent of the trade association.