December 19, 1967

Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics

Minutes of Meeting

Members Present: R. A. Sawyer – Chairman, S. A. Goudsmit, W. W. Havens, Jr., R. B. Lindsay, Vincent E. Parker, S. L. Quimby

Absent: Mary E. Warga

AIP Staff Present: H. W. Koch, Wallace Waterfall, G. F. Gilbert, Lewis Slack, Mary M. Johnson

The Chairman called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m.

1. Minutes

Upon motion made and carried, the minutes of the meeting of October 3, 1967, were approved as distributed.

2. Resolution on Death of Alan T. Waterman

The Secretary reported that Alan T. Waterman, most recent recipient of our Karl T. Compton Award, died on November 30, 1967, and the following resolution was adopted upon motion made and passed unanimously:

WHEREAS, The Executive Committee of the Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics learned with sorrow of the death of Alan Tower Waterman, most recent recipient of the Institute’s Karl Taylor Compton Gold Medal for distinguished statesmanship in science, be it

RESOLVED, That the Executive Committee of the Institute hereby gives formal expression of its severe loss and does hereby note in its records the passing from this life of a man who was esteemed by his associated and respected by all; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to his family.

The Director said he had been told that Mr. Waterman regarded the Compton Award as one of the highest honors he had received.

3. Financial Statement for Third Quarter 1967

Mr. Gilbert stated that the Third Quarter Statement was in the process of being completed and he distributed copies of a summary statement showing income and expense for the nine months ended September 30, 1967, as compared with the same period in 1966. (The Financial Statement for the Third Quarter 1967 was subsequently distributed to all Governing Board members with the Treasurer’s covering letter dated December 19, 1967. Copies are attached to these minutes for those who were not included in the original distribution.)

The Treasurer’s summary statement showed net income of $127,402 for the nine months ended September 30, 1967, as compared with $82,366 for the nine months ended September 30, 1966. He said additional expenses in the fourth quarter, such as our $10,000 contribution to the National Academy of Sciences’ new auditorium, increased expenses of the Committee on Physics and Society, a reduction in interest on investments, increased grant costs of $13,000 and a decrease in net income on journals, are all expected to reduce net income by the end of the year to about $70,000.

4. AIP Information Program

The Director reported that the Advisory Committee on the AIP Information Program met at the Institute on December 11 and 12, and discussed plans for the future of the Program. He said we had been advised by NSF that a letter awarding us the grant had been typed and would be received by us in a few days. (The grant letter was subsequently received but, because it does not conform with our request, it has not yet been accepted.)

There was a discussion of overhead and the Treasurer said that, because of the magnitude of this new grant, the NSF Indirect Cost Rate Office wishes to establish a new maximum provisional overhead rate.

1. Staff Organization

   The Director said he has reorganized the Publishing and Information Branch of the Institute, and he distributed copies of a chart illustrating the new organization. There are four Divisions as follows: (1) Publication Division of which H. C. Wolfe is director. Under this Division are Editorial Mechanics, Translation Journals, and Archive Journals. (2) Information Division, of which Arthur Herschman is director with Franz L. Alt as deputy director. This Division includes Computer Composition, Computer Store, Information Retrieval and Systems Development. (3) PHYSICS TODAY, and (4) Advertising.

   The Director said he would continue to act as Associate Director for the Publishing and Information Branch until we have a clear picture of its development and requirements. He stated that we plan to give increased attention to publishing problems and, as an outgrowth of the Information Program, we hope eventually to develop a variety of services which will be self-supporting.

2. Space Requirements

   The Secretary said Mr. Herschman had drawn up a schedule of personnel and space requirements for his Division and he expects to have 33 of the 35 people he will require on the staff by June 1968. He estimates they will require 7,500 to 8,000 square feet and we are working not to locate suitable quarters close to the Institute building although we will not commit ourselves to anything until we have accepted the grant and the Property Committee approves the space. We must then consider how to utilize the area vacated by the Information Division.

5. Employee Savings Plan

The Treasurer reported that the staff has been investigating the desirability of instituting an Employee Savings Plan in the interest of attracting and keeping competent personnel, and that the cost of the plan to be described had been included in the 1968 budget which would be presented later in this meeting.

Under the proposed plan (copy attached to official minutes) a regular employee (one who works half time or more) who has been with the Institute at least six months may allocate up to 6% of his base salary to the Plan and the Institute will contribute 50% more. Three investment options are offered to the employee: (a) Fixed income, (b) Diversified Equity Fund, (c) One-half in each of (a) and (b). Contributions made by the Institute would become fully vested in the employee when he has completed three years on the Plan.

The Treasurer distributed copies of the proposal and several statements (copies attached to official minutes). The estimated total cost of the Plan for 1968 is $26,650, 22% or $5,867 to be distributed in service charges made to the Societies and 18% or $4,849 to be charged to grants having a net charge against AIP operations of $15,934. If the Plan is adopted the total of all AIP employee benefits would be $152,050 or 10.9% of payroll. The proposed Plan would be worked out with Bankers Trust Company as trustee and administered by a committee of the Institute.

The Treasurer said the Society of Automotive Engineers adopted a similar plan in 1964 and it has been highly successful. He distributed copies of the SAE explanatory booklet. The staff feels such a Plan would be particularly attractive to employees under 30 years of age who are not eligible for the Retirement Plan. If this proposal is approved, it will be submitted to our attorney and the final Plan will be presented to the Executive Committee for adoption as soon as possible.

After further discussion, the following motion was made by Mr. Parker, seconded by Mr. Lindsay and passed without dissenting vote:

MOVED that an Employee Savings Plan be approved in principle effective January 1, 1968, subject to approval by legal counsel, with the understanding that the formal Plan as finally worked out will be presented to the Executive Committee for adoption as soon as possible.

The Secretary stated it will be necessary to appoint a committee to administer the Plan and, upon motion made and passed, the Pension Committee consisting of Messrs. S. L. Quimby (chairman), M. W. Zemansky, Wallace Waterfall, G. F. Gilbert and Miss Kathryn Setze was charged with administering the Employee Savings Plan.

6. Budget for 1968

The Director read a statement as follows:

“The year 1967 has been a year of crisis and change that have resulted from the increased size in the publication program and the addition of a Director and Associate Director for General Activities. These crises and changes have produced increased operating costs in order to maintain the quality and volume enjoyed in previous years. These costs are being carried over into 1968. Although the budget proposed for 1968 shows a net income of $24,000 (subsequently changed to $18,400), there are many details of philosophy that deserve to be outlined in order to demonstrate to the Executive Committee how we arrived at this budget and income. I propose to make some general comments followed by some enumeration of how increased costs as well as some savings have been effected. Mr. Gilbert will then provide some details on the budget, particularly on proposed changes in some publication charges.

“The budget for 1968 has been determined by a combination determination of holding the line at the same time as staffing to accomplish the job required by the AIP and Society programs. The need for conservation comes from the possible financial obligations in 1968 from the NSF threats to the income derived from the 1964 translation journal inventory, the possible taxation of advertising and exhibit income, and the possible decreased percentage in the honoring of page charges. As a result, we are not permitting expansion in the Physics History Division, Public Relations Division, PHYSICS TODAY Division, and translation journal program.

“Increased costs whose sources should be recognized are:

1. General increased staff salaries during a time when New York City salaries have generally skyrocketed.

2. Addition of an Associate Director.

3. Staff additions of a journal production manager, six copy editors, three temporary typists, one mail clerk, one payroll clerk, one and one-half publication-charge clerks, and one secretary.

4. Committee on Physics and Society.

5. Increased printing costs, Social Security costs, postal rates, and Employee Savings Plan.

6. Larger number of production sources that requires additional staff time to monitor.

“Some of the changes which will increase income or decrease costs are:

1. Elimination of direct AIP support of Information Program.

2. Increased publication charges.

3. Elimination of Beaux Arts apartment rent.

“If the Executive Committee approves the proposed budget with the changes to be described by Mr. Gilbert, it is our intention to initiate some detailed examination of procedures on expenditures, staffing, and program effectiveness in order to further improve our fiscal posture during the 1968 fiscal year. The Publication Division which has the largest single budget will receive particular scrutiny. This proposed internal study will focus on the existing publication procedures and on the relation of the publication program to the Information Program now and in the future. Specific answers desired from this study are the relation of conventional composition and printing methods to typewriter and computer composition as well as the characteristics required of the second Associate Director who will direct the Publishing and Information Branch.”

The Director said during the past year he has been trying to focus on major programs, such as the Information Program, and to maintain contacts with the Societies. He stated it is important that we make sure our operations are as efficient and effective as possible.

1. Increased Publication Charges for JAP and RSI

   The Treasurer distributed sheets showing publication charge income and expense, as budgeted in 1968, for the JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS and THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS (copies attached to official minutes). He said that, after reviewing these figures, the staff recommends that the publication charge for JAP be increased from $50 per page to $55, and for RSI from $50 to $60 per page. There was a discussion of the information presented by the Treasurer, during which several questions were asked and answered, and the following motion was made by Mr. Quimby, seconded by Mr. Lindsay and passed without dissenting vote:

   MOVED that the publication charges for JAP and RSI be increased from $50 each to $55 per page and $60 per page, respectively, effective as soon as feasible.

2. Soviet Journal Subscription Prices for 1968-69 Year

   The Treasurer distributed statements of income and expense budgeted for 1968 on the SOVIET JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS and SOVIET PHYSICS – Semiconductors. He said that, based on these figures, the staff recommends increasing the subscription prices beginning July 1, 1968, from $70 to $80, with comparable increases in the foreign rates. After brief discussion, the following motion was made by Mr. Havens, seconded by Mr. Lindsay and passed without dissenting vote:

   MOVED that subscription prices for the SOVIET JOURNAL OF NUCLEAR PHYSICS and SOVIET PHYSICS – Semiconductors be increased from $70 to $80, beginning July 1, 1968, with comparable increases in the foreign rates.

3. Approval of Budget

   Copies of a proposed 1968 budget had been distributed to all members prior to the meeting. The Treasurer explained that the budget had been prepared on the assumption that the Committee would act as it had on the Employee Savings Plan, increased publication charges for JAP and RSI, and increased subscription prices for the two translation journals. However some further changes had been necessary in the distribution of Editorial Mechanics Costs and the Treasurer handed out some new sheets to replace those previously distributed.

   Then followed a discussion of Editorial mechanics costs, during which Mr. Quimby read the following statement:

   1. “The figures cited in this memorandum appertain solely to The Physical Review, but it is believed that the conclusions to be inferred therefrom are applicable in kind to journals owned by the Institute.

   2. “During 1967 the Editorial Mechanics Section found itself increasingly unable properly to cope with the volume of manuscripts submitted it for pre-publication preparation. Costly expedients were adopted; for example, untrained help was engaged and overtime work was instituted. In consequence the per page cost of Editorial Mechanics increased from $5.585 for the first two quarters of 1966 to $6.826 for the first two quarters of 1967.

   3. “A measure of the effectiveness of these expedients is afforded by the hours per page charged by the printer for corrections to the galley proof prepared by him from the manuscripts received, that is, for so-called “Author’s Alterations”. The average number of hours per page spent by the printer on Author’s Alterations in the first ten months of 1966 was 0.360; in the first ten months of 1967 it was 0.443. It is not credible that the authors suddenly developed en masse a case of galloping delinquency. Indeed a sampling of their manuscripts shows that they did not. Accordingly, the expedients adopted by the Editorial Mechanics Section were largely ineffective.

   4. “The seriousness of the situation is indicated by the fact that the charge for “Author’s Alterations” made by the printer on the galley and page proof of The Physical Review through the issue of October 15, 1967 was $56,000, yielding an appalling estimate of $70,000 for the year.

   5. “It is likely that methods for recording and disseminating scientific knowledge will be profoundly changed in the not distant future. In the meantime we must live with the methods that subsist, but these are subject to improvement, particularly in respect to Editorial Mechanics. The procedures currently practiced in the preparation of manuscripts for publication annually in 20,000 pages of The Physical Review are substantially what they were when the yearly size of the journal was 2,000 pages. It is evident that revision of these procedures is highly desirable.

   6. “It is moved:

      That the Chairman appoint a Committee to study in detail the current practices of the Editorial Mechanics Section for the purpose of devising modifications thereof which will greatly reduce the per page cost of Editorial Mechanics and of “Author’s Alterations”. By this motion the Committee is authorized to engage as advisors the services of professional experts not on the staff of the Institute.”

   Mr. Lindsay seconded the above MOTION and it was passed without dissent.

   There was a discussion of the proposed committee’s responsibilities and, in particular, its charge to “engage as advisors the services of professional experts not on the staff of the Institute.” The Chairman appointed Messrs. R. B. Lindsay (chairman), S. L. Quimby and himself as the committee, and he emphasized that the committee is authorized to hire consultants.

   In response to a question about possible taxation of advertising income, the Secretary said that the 1968 calendar year would be the first year for which AIP would be liable to taxation according to the IRS ruling and our report for that year would not be due till March 1969. In the meantime IRS will have to spell out accounting procedures to be used in determining the tax and many things can happen. The AIP staff and legal counsel are watching the situation closely and expect to have something more to report later.

   Mr. Havens asked several questions about specific items in the proposed budget and answers were provided by the Director, the Secretary and the Treasurer. Mr. Quimby then made the following motion which was seconded by Mr. Parker and passed without dissenting vote:

   MOVED that the budget for 1968 be approved as submitted subject to emendation following the report of the Committee on Study of the Current Practices of the Editorial Mechanics Section.

   A copy of the approved Budget 1968 is attached to these minutes.

7. AAPT Request for Funds from Exhibit Income

The Director recalled that, at the Executive Committee meeting on February 2, 1967, he had reported receipt of a proposal from AAPT that the Institute provide funds from its annual meeting exhibit income for a film competition to be sponsored by AAPT. He distributed copies of a letter dated October 12, 1967, from Arnold Arons, President of AAPT, submitting a budget of $2,050 for this project and reiterating AAPT’s request for support. There was a brief discussion in which it was argued that projects of individual societies should not be financed out of exhibit income. The following motion was then made by Mr. Havens, seconded by Mr. Quimby and passed without dissenting vote:

MOVED that the request of AAPT for $2,050 from AIP exhibit income to finance a film competition be denied.

8. Request for Affiliation from Division of Physical Chemistry of ACS

It will be recalled that a request for affiliation was received from the subject organization, as reported in the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting on June 9, 1967, and the Governing Board meeting of October 3, 1967. Mr. Havens made the following motion which was seconded and passed without dissenting vote:

MOVED that the Division of Physical Chemistry of the American Chemical Society be recommended to the Governing Board for election as an Affiliated Society of the Institute.

9. American Mathematical Society Proposal Regarding JMP

The Director reported a proposed plan of the American Mathematical Society to establish a service, called Mathematical Offprint Service, which would offer mathematical journals. They hope to be able to supply the individual articles wanted simultaneously with, or shortly after journal publication. AMS would like to include JMP in this proposed service and, the Director said, as soon as we learn more about details and costs we will decide whether we should consider it.

10. Proposal for A. B. Wood Memorial

The Secretary reported that a committee had been formed to establish a memorial to the late A. B. Wood, a British oceanographer who died in 1964. George Wood, no relation, has been soliciting contributions in this country and about $3,000 has been collected to date. The committee has proposed that the award, consisting of a medal and citation for the best essay in the area of oceanography, be administered jointly by the Institute of Physics and the Physical Society in London and the AIP.

The Secretary said A. B. Wood had been awarded the Acoustical Society’s Medal on Underwater Acoustics a few years ago so it seemed appropriate to discuss this proposal in the Council of the Acoustical Society. The Council discussed it at their meeting in November and concluded that, administration of such an award would be costly and difficult and recommended that the money collected so far be turned over to the IPPS in London for disposition. After brief discussion, the following motion was made by Mr. Havens, seconded by Mr. Parker and passed without dissenting vote:

MOVED that the Institute accept the recommendation of the Acoustical Society and advise Mr. George Wood that AIP declines to co-sponsor an A. B. Wood memorial award.

11. Progress on Center for History & Philosophy of Physics

The subject item was included in the agenda at the request of Mr. Lindsay who asked whether any progress had been made in efforts to secure long-range financing for the Center.

Mr. Slack gave a summary of attempts which had been made during the past year. Proposals were sent to the Ford Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation, the Heinemann Foundation and U. S. Steel. While most of these organizations offered encouragement, they did not feel that the program came within their purview and declined to support it. The Heinemann Foundation will continue to provide the smaller amounts they have been giving us. We did get support from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences for a series of oral histories on the development of nuclear physics which will continue through June 1968.

Mr. Slack said a proposal will be submitted to NSF next month, and plans are being made to submit a proposal for 5-year support to the Sloan Foundation. In addition, we will endeavor to get continuing support from the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. A suggestion was offered that an approach be made to the new National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities in Washington and it was agreed this might be worth exploring.

12. Appointments

The Secretary stated that the Chairman and Director had been authorized to make appointments as required, and he reported that the following appointments had been made since the last meeting:

1. Editorial Boards for 1968

   Each of the AIP archive journals has an editorial board composed of members who serve three-year terms, one-third of the Board being appointed each year. The following appointments for three-year terms to December 31, 1970, were made upon recommendation of the journal editors:

   JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYSICS and APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS

   • S. J. Buchsbaum
   • I. S. Jacobs
   • H. D. Keith

   THE REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

   • C. F. Barnett
   • Thomas L. Hayes
   • Robert J. Kolenkow
   • Ray Radebough
   • Lawrence G. Rubin
   • N. R. Whetten
   • T. R. Young

   THE JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS

   • Daniel Kivelson
   • M. Krauss
   • A. D. McLachlan
   • F. H. Stillinger, Jr.
   • David White
   • Max Wolfsberg

   THE PHYSICS OF FLUIDS

   • George Bekefi
   • Eugene P. Gross
   • A. Hertzberg
   • Wulf B. Kunkel
   • E. L. Resler, Jr.
   • Fred L. Ribe

   As soon as recommendations are received from the Editor of the JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS the appointments will be made.

2. Representative on the Scientific Manpower Commission

   John Shive was reappointed for a three-year term to December 31, 1970.

3. USASI Acoustical Standards Board

   F. V. Hunt was reappointed for a two-year term ending December 31, 1969, and R. H. Nichols, Jr., was appointed his alternate for the same period.

4. AAAS Council

   The Secretary said Mary E. Warga has served as one of our two representatives for three two-year terms, splitting her expenses between AIP and OSE which she also represents. It was the consensus that she be reappointed for another two-year term to January 15, 1970, if she is willing to serve. (Miss Warga subsequently agreed to serve.)

5. AAAS Cooperative Committee on Teaching of Science & Mathematics

   Arnold A. Strassenburg was appointed for an indefinite term to replace Lewis Slack.

6. Magnetics Conference Advisory Committee

   The Secretary stated that we co-sponsor the annual magnetics conference with IEEE and each sponsor appoints one-half of the committee members. IEEE has extended the terms of its members for one year because of the international meeting held in 1967 in place of the usual annual conference. We propose to do the same except for the appointment of Julius Hastings to replace John Osborn inasmuch as Mr. Hastings has been selected as chairman of the Advisory Committee and bust be officially a member.

   Upon MOTION made, seconded and passed without dissent, all of the above appointments and prospective appointments were approved.

13. Action by Member Organizations on AIP Matters

The Secretary reported that, to date, the American Physical Society and the Acoustical Society had both acted to approve the proposed revised Constitution and service contract. He also reported that APS, the Acoustical Society and the American Vacuum Society had approved use of surplus from the $10 abstract charge for the AIP Information Program.

14. Society of Physics Students

Mr. Parker reported that, at a meeting of Sigma Pi Sigma held on December 15 and 16, the merger with AIP Student Sections was approved by the required two-thirds vote. This approval was based on some revisions in the proposed constitution of the resultant Society of Physics Students and, after the details have been worked out, the revised constitution will be presented to AIP for its approval.

15. Corporate Associates Status Report

The Director reported that 157 Corporate Associates paid a gross of $153,755 in 1967 from which we realized an estimated net income of $115,950. The 1968 dues bills were mailed on November 1, 1967, and a gross of $90,250 has been received from 93 Associates as of December 18. While returns are being received at about the same rate as last year, the number of withdrawals is larger, with six to date compared with three at the same time a year ago. Although we have tried to persuade them to reconsider it appears their decisions are irrevocable. The six are:

Name	1967 Dues Rate
Avco Corporation	$1,000
Clevite Corporation	750
Douglas Aircraft Co.	2,000
ITT Research Institute	750
Institute for Defense Analysis	1,000
United Gas Corporation	500

16. Next Meeting

The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be a breakfast meeting on Wednesday, January 31, 1968, at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago, starting at 9:30 a.m.

The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m.