Inventing US Science Policy

Abstract

Throughout 1995, speeches, articles and symposiums celebrated the 50th anniversary of Science—The Endless Frontier, known more familiarly as the Bush Report, in honor of Vannevar Bush, its principal author. While all the commentators recognized the report as the centerpiece of post-World War II's science policy, some went on to express regret about its legacy for our present time: Bush's strategy was mapped in the heat of war and served as a battle-cry during the cold war, but it is likely to be inadequate as a vigorous defense of scientific research in the 21st century.