ABSTRACT
This chapter describes some functions which a Presidential Science Adviser can perform uniquely well and points out the tension between the job of President’s Science Adviser and that of other Presidential assistants. It explains the role of the President’s Science Advisory Committee (PSAC), and emphasizes the degree of tolerance which a President wanting to serve his country may need in order that he and the nation benefit from the President’s Science Adviser and the President’s Science Advisory Committee. In providing scientifically and technically informed advice for the President and the White House Staff, the President’s science advisory organization and the President’s Science Advisory Committee have both individual and collegial roles. PSAC is composed of individuals whose integrity and energy have been repeatedly certified by their successes in science. PSAC members must be selected, in my opinion, primarily on the basis of their competence, courage, honesty, and energy—geographical distribution and industry-academic split being of far lesser importance.
