00:00:00 The American Chemical Society presents a Meeting Extra. Television coverage of meeting highlights and news brought directly to your room through the closed circuit facilities of Teleguide Channel 6.

00:00:21 The Society welcomes this opportunity to provide a new dimension in its continuing program of keeping you informed about meeting activities.

00:00:29 Today's program features two interviews by two of our more celebrated personalities of the American Chemical Society, Dr. Milton Harris and Dr. Rudolph Morph. Stay tuned.

00:00:41 Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, attending this 152nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, and welcome to the fourth of our six 20-minute telecasts, which your Society is bringing you to, frankly, keep you abreast of the many events that are going on during this very largest meeting of the American Chemical Society.

00:01:02 Our times for the remaining programs are listed on the tent cards which are found in your hotel rooms.

00:01:07 We here at Channel 6, well, frankly, we hope you're enjoying these news, views, and interviews programs that we've been presenting and that you'll stay with us for the remainder of them, as well as the special telecasts tonight beginning at 10 o'clock and featuring the Big President's Dinner and Symposium on Chemical Pioneers.

00:01:25 We have the great honor to have with us in our studio today Dr. Milton Harris, who is a Chairman of the Board of the Directors of the American Chemical Society, Vice President and Director of the Gillette Company, a research that is, and a member of the Board and Council of Yale University.

00:01:41 And certainly our pleasure to have you with us, Dr. Harris.

00:01:44 Good to be here.

00:01:45 A lot of things I want to ask you, frankly, and I'm going to start out with something that I think you're especially interested in, the work of a rather new ACS Committee, which is known as the Committee on Chemistry and Public Affairs, something I think is fairly close to you.

00:01:58 Tell us a little about it.

00:01:59 Well, this is a very important activity as far as I'm concerned and perhaps the 106,000 members of the American Chemical Society are concerned.

00:02:09 Chemists have been rather a good professional group and they've tended to their own knitting as in the past.

00:02:15 They've tended to worry about their educational problems or their industrial or government problems.

00:02:21 But suddenly they're beginning to realize that chemistry really impinges on every phase of our life.

00:02:27 It deals with national security, with economic growth, with educational process, health and welfare, and they feel that they have a real stake.

00:02:36 On top of that, of course, as you well know, the government is the great supplier of money for science in the world.

00:02:43 Some 3% of our gross national product, some $16 billion of government money goes into science, and we feel there's a better need for understanding of this entire process.

00:02:54 The result is this committee made up of some of the top scientists in government, industry, and education who are working very hard and diligently to understand the problem better.

00:03:04 Well, it's a very wonderful idea, and I'm glad it's coming about.

00:03:06 And certainly during your meeting here at the Society, I'm sure it's going to be expounded further.

00:03:11 Dr. Harris, there's been quite a lot of publicity lately that's referred to, well, frankly, for want of a better name, as the college-industry relationship problem.

00:03:19 Is your committee in any way involved in it?

00:03:21 Yes, we have a very, very active committee dealing with this problem.

00:03:25 This is a very, very serious problem, not only in chemistry, but it cuts across the board.

00:03:31 You read a lot in the papers about the rebellion of students towards, let's say, the profit motive, if you will, industry.

00:03:40 Some of them feel that they may have to have a cause.

00:03:43 I think part of this is a result of an affluent society.

00:03:46 A part is perhaps the changing times.

00:03:49 I think part may be very sincere indeed.

00:03:52 Now, industry actually makes possible all of our funds for better schools or better education, more culture, better roads, better hospitals, better health.

00:04:04 And this is a very important part of our society.

00:04:06 And when a student is contributing to the industrial effort, he's really contributing to the very basis of our existence.

00:04:14 Somehow or the other now, though, he's thought that this isn't a worthy enterprise.

00:04:18 He wants something nobler.

00:04:20 And we in industry have a real job and a challenge to make this a much more exciting process.

00:04:27 At the same time, the faculties of our major universities have got to understand what they and their students can contribute to industry.

00:04:37 This is especially true in science.

00:04:40 And we're working very hard at trying to bridge this gap.

00:04:43 In other words, there is a goal that the aspiring student can find.

00:04:47 And it's your job, I assume then, of the universities to give them a little more direction.

00:04:52 Would you say, Dr. Harris, that this has always been a problem?

00:04:55 It seems rather novel to me suddenly.

00:04:56 You find students with a huge cause.

00:04:58 They've always had one, obviously.

00:04:59 They've always had one, but I think it's more prevalent today.

00:05:03 Personally, I feel it's a result of our success in this world.

00:05:07 The student can always find a multitude of jobs.

00:05:10 As a matter of fact, the average technical man, if he's good, is offered a dozen jobs long before he finishes school.

00:05:17 He's less hungry, shall we say.

00:05:19 Yes.

00:05:20 And he has a choice that makes it difficult.

00:05:22 It confuses him.

00:05:24 It isn't that the young generation is bad in any sense.

00:05:28 In fact, I think they're a very superior lot from many points of view.

00:05:32 They're well-educated.

00:05:34 They are serious.

00:05:35 They're bright.

00:05:36 But they have too many choices, and they're bewildered.

00:05:39 It could be a lot worse, I'm sure.

00:05:41 It certainly could.

00:05:42 You mentioned earlier in our talk the amount of money, a huge amount of money, that not only industry is involved with, but the federal government itself.

00:05:50 In other words, in expanding the future of chemistry and, frankly, the betterment of all of us.

00:05:55 One of the problems, one of the primary public issues, in fact, has been pollution.

00:06:00 Pollution of air and of water and even the earth, too, I understand.

00:06:04 And there's a lot of money going into this, a lot of talk.

00:06:07 I know the society, and especially your committee, are concerned with the problem.

00:06:11 Can you tell us something about what the committee is doing about it?

00:06:14 Well, this is also a very important undertaking.

00:06:17 Pollution problems really cut across all phases of society.

00:06:21 They exist in the water phases and the air, and they cut across boundaries.

00:06:27 They cut across state boundaries.

00:06:29 It's really a national problem.

00:06:31 One of the problems, accordingly, it's become very political.

00:06:36 But we in the society are really interested in what are the technical problems.

00:06:39 Because only through technology will we prevent them or cure them.

00:06:43 In one sense, we may attack the problem by better technology so that we don't pollute the airstreams.

00:06:49 But there are some cases where this is inevitable, and then we'll have to learn to purify it.

00:06:53 We're now studying, through large groups who are volunteering their time, what are the technologies behind these pollution problems.

00:07:03 And we're now writing a report, which we think will be very important in this area.

00:07:07 It may actually take the politics out of it to a degree.

00:07:09 Well, you never take politics in this kind of...

00:07:11 But where you can supply yourself with better facts, you minimize the impact of politics.

00:07:16 Well, certainly our best in regard to getting that problem started, certainly.

00:07:20 I understand also, in a very busy curricula, you might say, your society's publication, Chemical and Engineering News,

00:07:27 carried a very excellent summary of what we call the so-called Westheimer Report.

00:07:32 I also understand some of the chemists feel, well, the report, as good as it is, is primarily concerned with chemistry from a university angle.

00:07:40 What's your evaluation, your feeling on that?

00:07:42 This was a remarkable report.

00:07:44 A huge number of people put an enormous amount of time into evaluating the academic aspects of chemistry,

00:07:51 the input, the relationship to part of our society.

00:07:54 As a starter, this was one of the monumental jobs, and it really catalyzed a lot of further thinking.

00:08:01 The further thinking is now taking place in the form of trying to understand the economic input of chemistry into our society.

00:08:09 Now, we expect chemical companies to put a lot into our society,

00:08:13 but some $40 billion of our gross national product is actually contributed by the chemical companies.

00:08:21 It is that much.

00:08:22 But chemistry puts into our society much beyond that.

00:08:27 I've recently made a study, and I would think you'd be interested to know that of the 125 largest corporations in America,

00:08:36 the technology or research of 80 of them are led by chemists, either as directors of research or vice presidents or even presidents.

00:08:45 In other words, you would expect the director of research of DuPont to be a chemist,

00:08:49 but I don't think you would have expected that the director of research and vice president of Bell Laboratories,

00:08:55 of United States Steel, of General Electric Company, and many others, even Gillette Company, if I may say so, is a chemist.

00:09:03 Well, that's amazing.

00:09:04 Therefore, the input of chemistry into our economy is not $40 billion, but is probably something well in excess of $100 billion,

00:09:12 a very noteworthy input indeed.

00:09:15 And even beyond the actual monocle point of view is the, you might say for want of a better expression,

00:09:22 the ruling, the directors of these very large corporations, extremely influential in our own affairs, are there,

00:09:30 and they're all chemists.

00:09:31 Many of them are.

00:09:32 Many of them.

00:09:33 You've gotten to another point, and I'm going to ask you in a moment about that.

00:09:36 But first, are there alternatives or additional information that you think might be helpful in discussing the Westheimer report?

00:09:43 Can we expand on that?

00:09:44 So the general public might know something about it.

00:09:46 Well, what the Westheimer report would really emphasize is the great challenge there is in chemistry.

00:09:54 Now, we hear a lot about the glamour of science, and it has indeed been glamorous.

00:09:59 It's put a lot into our space efforts and our national security.

00:10:03 But for anyone, a young man, a young woman who wants a real challenge,

00:10:08 they can probably find as great a challenge in chemistry because it not only has this tremendous educational input,

00:10:15 it has this tremendous input into our economy through the large companies.

00:10:19 Incidentally, the directors of research of every large pharmaceutical company is a chemist.

00:10:23 Here is something that deals with health and welfare.

00:10:26 It really shows that chemistry is really one of the great focal points of our whole way of life.

00:10:32 It contributes in every way to our life, whether it be economically, health and welfare, security.

00:10:38 I've discovered another thing, too, Dr. Harrison, talking to a few of your compatriots who are members of the American Chemical Society

00:10:44 and who I'm not at are directors in one sense or another.

00:10:47 They all have a tremendously idealistic point of view.

00:10:50 They're not only practical chemists, working chemists, I think I use that expression.

00:10:53 But, well, as directors of some of our leading corporations, they must be idealists.

00:10:59 They must be people who can look forward to, well, the betterment of man, if I may use an expression used over.

00:11:05 I think that's possibly a point you might make to young people who are thinking about chemistry as an occupation.

00:11:11 I think they are indeed idealists.

00:11:14 And one of the distinguishing features of America is that these busy men,

00:11:19 the top men of our large companies, will give incredible amounts of time to all causes,

00:11:24 whether they be to the American Chemical Society, to education, to government, to every phase of our life.

00:11:30 It's a very rewarding thing that when we have a problem, and I've done this many times,

00:11:35 to pick up the telephone, call a half a dozen presidents or directors of research of major corporations,

00:11:40 and they're in Washington where I happen to live, and this has nothing to do with government,

00:11:44 and they'll be there the next day working literally around the clock to solve an important problem.

00:11:50 And they'll drop everything in order to help with this.

00:11:52 In a sense, they're having their cake and eat it. It's pretty good.

00:11:55 Well, there's a lot of thrill in being able to see the achievements that you're working around,

00:12:00 and I think chemistry, as it's apparent, has become so tremendously important in everything we do in life.

00:12:05 I'm going to thank you, sir, Dr. Milton Harris, who's chairman of the board of the directors of the American Chemical Society,

00:12:12 and a man who is also part of the practical end of it, a vice president, director of research of Gillette,

00:12:17 and a member of the board and council of Yale University, many viewpoints in the tremendous industry.

00:12:22 And our thanks to you, ladies and gentlemen, who are attending this 152nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

00:12:29 Our best of luck to you, sir.

00:12:30 Thank you.

00:12:38 You're watching a meeting extra presented by the American Chemical Society.

00:12:43 Part of our television coverage of news, views, and interviews, presenting meeting highlights and news brought directly to your room

00:12:50 through the closed-circuit facilities of Teleguide and Channel 6.

00:12:54 In just a moment, our interview with Dr. Rudolf Mohr. Stay tuned.

00:12:58 Welcome to News and Views of the 152nd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society here in New York.

00:13:17 Well, the big events yesterday, of course, were the big president's dinner and reception, a very beautiful affair, we might add,

00:13:23 followed by the general meeting and the familiar and always much-loved mixer.

00:13:28 By the way, there was a near-capacity crowd at the president's dinner, as you can see very quickly from our photos.

00:13:35 A principal speaker at the event was Dr. Charles Allen Thomas, who is chairman of the finance and technical committees of the Monsanto Company.

00:13:44 The title of his talk, by the way, was The Complete Chemist, and it was very, very interesting, we understand.

00:13:50 The speaker's well-chosen words were enthusiastically received by the audience,

00:13:55 and if you'd like, you can hear this speech here on Channel 6 tonight, beginning at 10 o'clock.

00:14:01 ACS President Sparks presided at the dinner, of course, and introduced the head table guests,

00:14:07 who included Mr. Edward J. Brenner, the Commissioner of Patents of the United States,

00:14:12 Dr. Walter R. Koerner, who is the former head of the chemistry section of the National Science Foundation,

00:14:19 and Dr. Rudolph Morf, who is secretary general of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.

00:14:25 Other head table guests were Dr. Milton Harris, who is chairman of the ACS Board of Directors,

00:14:31 Dr. Charles G. Overberger, who is president-elect of the Society,

00:14:36 Dr. George B. Brown, chairman of the ACS New York section,

00:14:40 Dr. Mark N. Rarick, who is chairman of the ACS Rhode Island section,

00:14:44 and Dr. B. R. Stanerson, who is the ACS executive secretary.

00:14:49 When the dinner program was ended, the diners moved into the adjoining ballroom at the big New York Hilton,

00:14:54 where they joined several hundred other waiting ACS members in attending the Society's big general meeting.

00:15:01 Now, although this was primarily an awards meeting, where the winners of the Society's national awards were presented

00:15:07 by president-elect Dr. Charles Overberger, there were many other events, too, of course.

00:15:12 The Society's two oldest local sections, the New York and Rhode Island sections,

00:15:17 were given certificates commemorating their 75th anniversaries.

00:15:21 Here, for example, we see Dr. Brown accepting the certificate for the New York section from Dr. Stanerson.

00:15:28 And here we have Dr. Stanerson presenting the Rhode Island certificate to Dr. Rarick.

00:15:34 The Society's board chairman, Dr. Milton Harris, presented a special tribute to the honored guest,

00:15:40 Dr. Rudolph Morf, for Dr. Morf's many accomplishments in the area of international cooperation among chemists.

00:15:47 Dr. Morf then made a well-received acceptance speech, in which he indicated that chemists are among the leaders

00:15:53 in the cooperation among scientists of the many different nations.

00:15:57 Dr. Sparks closed the general meeting program with his presidential address, entitled, by the way,

00:16:03 Creativity, Competition, and Cooperation.

00:16:07 In his address, Dr. Sparks disclosed the fact that the Society is going to administer

00:16:12 a new ACS award for inventors in the chemical field.

00:16:16 The large audience at the general meeting moved back into the same ballroom where the dinner had been held

00:16:22 to attend that always popular mixer, which followed the general meeting.

00:16:26 All registrants at the national meeting received a ticket to the mixer,

00:16:29 and some persons there believe all registrants attended the function.

00:16:33 We certainly hope so, and as you can tell from these photos,

00:16:36 the ballroom couldn't possibly have accommodated many more people.

00:16:40 Well, the big news for today comes from the council meeting,

00:16:43 which lasted from 9 a.m. until nearly 1 this afternoon.

00:16:46 Among many actions that it took, the council announced the chartering of a new local section,

00:16:51 which, by the way, is the Society's 167th.

00:16:55 It's to be known as the South Central Missouri section, with headquarters in Roland, Missouri.

00:17:00 The council also heard of a decision by the board of directors

00:17:03 that a monthly journal, a new one, Environmental Science and Technology,

00:17:07 has been authorized to begin publication early in 1967.

00:17:11 The council nominated candidates for regional directors in the 4th district,

00:17:15 where Dr. Paul H. Emmett of the Johns Hopkins University

00:17:18 and Dr. William A. Mulsher of the University of Delaware are candidates,

00:17:22 and in the 6th district, where Dr. W. Albert Noyes, Jr. of the University of Texas

00:17:27 and Dr. William G. Young of the University of California at Los Angeles are the candidates.

00:17:32 Members residing in these districts will elect their regional director later this fall by mail ballot.

00:17:38 Society membership now totals more than 105,000,

00:17:41 the council was told by ACS Executive Secretary Standerson.

00:17:45 And so it went at this largest meeting yet of the American Chemical Society.

00:17:49 We'll have more news and views for you tomorrow morning,

00:17:52 following an interview with Dr. Richard L. Kenyon, director of ACS Publications.

00:17:57 And we invite you to tune in again tonight at 10,

00:18:00 when Channel 6 brings you the telecast of last night's President's Dinner.

00:18:04 And this will follow at 10.30 with a condensed version of the symposium on chemical pioneers.

00:18:10 The full symposium was held the afternoon at the Americana Hotel's Royal Box.

00:18:22 Thank you.