ABSTRACT
Scientific and technological expertise and advice have existed at the highest levels of American government since the beginning of nation's history. From 1951 until the shock of Sputnik, the Science Advisory Committee remained institutionally associated with the Office of Defense Mobilization. As a consequence, the President elevated the Science Advisory Committee to White House status, converting it into the President's Science Advisory Committee with a first-time, full-time Presidential Science Advisor. Space had become, for many people, the primary symbol of world leadership in science and technology. More than ever, there is a need for science and technology advice at the highest levels of government, but the perspective of how that advice fits into the resolution of current national problems needs to be altered. Fundamentally, Congress is advised through its individual members, and then through the workings of the committee system.
