-

Dr. Rabi next reported the Committee's commentson the cut in the

ewe

Research

Research Division's budget and on the ONR-AEC Joint Program,

Mr. Nichol

Budget,
ONR-AEC

mentioned that there is money in the FY55 budget for the Joint Program,

Program

if it doesn't get cut out,

Joint

Mr. Zuckert made several comments on the problems involved in
budgeting basic research.

:

It is extremely difficult to show how much

money is going into the direct research effort, e.+Bean’ physics and
chemi stry as contrasted to how much is eaten’ up ty fixed overhead costs.
The present accounting system does not reflect these fixed costs, whch

are continually being built in, in machines and prick and murtar,

For

a given level of annual expenditure, as the installations increase the
amount of research will decrease.

Mr. Zuckert hoped that an accounting

system would be devised which would segregatethecosts of the fixed
establishment from those of the direct effort. He“also hoped that it.
would be possible to alleviate the BNL difficulties which ‘arise from the
fact that the Laboratory gets funds from three separate’‘sources in the

AEC and has no separate fund for its overall operation. Such an accounting plan was being worked on, and might be ready for the FY56 budget. -~
Dr, Rabi said the GAC has been greatly perturbed by the language of
the House report, which betrayed a lack of understanding of the nature o:
basic research.

Mr, Nichols. agreed, and said a campaign on Congresszen

by scientists was probably needed.

-*

DOE ARCHIVES

With regard to the General Manager's request for an evaluation of
Boiling

Water
Reactor

the BWR, Dr. Rabi said the Committee had had no document yhich could
serve as a basis for a technical evaluation, but that the Reactor

Select target paragraph3