ABSTRACT
With the launching of Sputnik in the fall of 1957, and the ensuing public alarm that the nation was losing scientific and technological ground to the Soviets, came Congressional clamor for a Department of Science and Technology. Its proponents argued that only a full-fledged department, headed by a secretary with a seat in the Cabinet, could commandeer the resources for support of science and technology that were scattered throughout government. The Bureau of the Budget was a different player altogether. Traditionally staffed with career officers of high quality, it looked upon itself as a principal and professional staff arm of the Presidency. A series of reports on the uses of outer space, the design of a civilian organization to develop and manage a national space program, and suggestions of individuals who might lead it. There are other lessons from the past which, if heeded, could enhance scientific advice for the President in the years to come.
