Governing Board of the American Institute of Physics
Minutes of Meeting
I. The Board of Governors of the American Institute of Physics Incorporated met in response to call of the Chairman at ten-thirty a.m., Friday, March 10, 1939 at the Hotel Pennsylvania.
Pending the arrival of the Secretary certain items on the Agenda were taken up before the reading of the previous Minutes.
II. Appointment of Editor of Journal of Chemical Physics:
On motion it was voted:
that Mr. H. C. Urey be appointed Editor of the Journal of Chemical Physics for the term which began January 1, 1938 and expires December 31, 1940.
(The reappointment at the end of the previous term was overlooked.)
III. Book on Applied Physics by Mr. G.R. Harrison:
The Director reported that this book is practically ready for the publisher and that the most favored title at present is “Atoms at Work” with the sub-title “The World Of Creative Physics”.
IV. The Director reported that the American Institute of Physics Incorporated was represented at the International Conference at Paris, “La Semaine contre le Cancer”, by Mr. F. Wheeler Loomis of the University of Illinois whose presence in London permitted his attendance without expense to the Institute. A report from Mr. Wheeler has been filed at the Institute with his recommendation that it is probably not worthwhile for the Institute to be represented at similar meetings in the future.
V. Write-Off “Physics in Industry”:
The Director reported that the Institute has bound 211 copies of the book “Physics in Industry” which are carried at $137.15 and 1000 sheets not bound carried at $422.34.
On motion it was voted:
that of the amount of $422.34, now carried as assets on account of the 1000 unbound sheets of the book “Physics in Industry”, one half, namely $211.17, shall be written off and charged against deficit account.
VI. Membership of Board:
The Secretary reported elections to the Board at the Annual Meeting held on February 24, 1939 as follows:
On nomination of:
| American Physical Society | K.T. Compton to succeed himself |
| Optical Society of America | W.B. Rayton to succeed himself |
| Acoustical Society of America | Floyd A. Firestone to succeed V.O. Knudsen |
| Society of Rheology | Wheeler P. Davey to succeed himself |
| R.L. Peek Jr. to succeed himself | |
| Melvin Mooney to succeed himself | |
| American Association of Physics Teachers | P.E. Klopsteg to succeed H.L. Dodge |
And that the membership of the Board until the next Annual Meeting of the Institute will be as follows:
| American Physical Society | George B. Pegram | 1940 |
| John T. Tate | 1941 | |
| Karl T. Compton | 1942 | |
| Optical Society of America | E.C. Crittenden | 1940 |
| Arthur C. Hardy | 1941 | |
| W.B. Rayton | 1942 | |
| Acoustical Society of America | Wallace Waterfall | 1940 |
| Harvey Fletcher | 1941 | |
| Floyd A. Firestone | 1942 | |
| Society of Rheology | Wheeler P. Davey | 1940 |
| R.L. Peek Jr. | 1940 | |
| Melvin Mooney | 1940 | |
| American Association of Physics Teachers | Frederic Palmer Jr. | 1940 |
| F.K. Richtmyer | 1941 | |
| Paul E. Klopsteg | 1942 |
All members of the Board except Mr. Palmer, who is in Europe, were present at this meeting.
VII. Minutes of the Meeting of March 26, 1938:
After a brief resumé by the Secretary of the Minutes of the previous meeting of the Governing Board it was on motion voted:
that the Minutes of the Meeting of March 26, 1938 be approved as manifolded and distributed.
VIII. Report of Officers:
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The Chairman:
The Chairman stated that the substance of what the Chairman had to report to the meeting would be contained in the report to be presented by the Director.
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The Secretary:
The Secretary had no report other than the report already made on the election of members of the Board at the Annual Meeting.
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The Treasurer:
The Treasurer stated that a full account of the financial operations of the Institute through the calendar year 1938 is contained in the report of Auditors, Pasley and Conroy, for that year, which had been submitted to the Annual Meeting and of which copies had been transmitted to the Secretary of each of the member societies, other copies being on file at the office of the Institute.
The Treasurer stated further that while the Institute has now a deficit of about twenty-one thousand dollars this does not constitute any serious handicap to current operations of the Institute because of the fact that the Institute receives so much of its income for the year in the first part of the year; that the effect of the deficit is only to cause in the fall the slow payments of printers’ bills; that for the present at least the printer seems entirely satisfied and in fact is being paid as promptly as ever in the history of the Institute.
The Treasurer stated that the Assistant Treasurer in reporting as Director of the Institute would discuss more fully the financing of the Institute.
On motion it was voted:
that the reports of the officers be accepted.
IX. Report of Director:
Mr. Barton as Director of the Institute submitted copies of a fourteen page report discussing in full the operations of the Institute through the year with respect to the printing of journals for the Societies; the conduct of the Institute’s own journals; questions of advertising; general and special activities other than publishing including reference to symposium on “Physics in the Automotive Industry” held in March 1938 in Ann Arbor, Michigan and another symposium being planned for late in 1939 or for 1940 on “Temperature, Its Measurement and Control in Science and Industry”; and on the placement service of the Institute. Attached to the report are three pages of financial statements from the auditors’ report on the operations of the Institute. A copy of this report is filed with the official copy of the Minutes.
After discussion of various items of the report it was on motion voted:
to accept the report with expressions of appreciation for the way in which the financial problems have been handled through 1938 by the Director, the officers and the staff of the Institute.
X. Report of the Editor of Journal of Applied Physics:
Mr. Hutchisson reported that it had been his object as editor to try to make the journal useful for all those engaged in applied physics; that sixty research papers had been published; that it was necessary to combat the tendency to let articles become more technical; that for 1939 he expects to invite associate editors in several fields to prepare general survey articles in their fields, for example, photoelasticity and television; that efforts shall be made to keep the journal useful to other than technical physicists.
XI. Report of Executive Committee:
The Minutes of the Meetings of the Executive Committee on October 21, 1938, December 27, 1938 and February 23, 1939 were reviewed and on motion it was voted:
that certain actions by the Executive Committee were specifically ratified and adopted by the Board as follows:
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from October 21, 1938 minutes:
“On motion it was voted:
that this generous action of the Society of Rheology should be reported to the Governing Board together with a resolution of thanks for the approval of the Board.”
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from December 27, 1938 minutes:
“On motion it was voted:
that the portion of the cost of manufacturing and distributing the journal that can properly be allocated to advertising should be charged to the advertising department for 1938 and subsequently unless directed to be changed by the Treasurer.
On motion it was voted:
that the Treasurer be empowered to establish cost accounting procedures and to change the same whenever in his judgment it may be desirable in so far as such changes may not be contrary to specific actions by the Executive Committee hereafter.
On motion it was voted:
that a Committee on Advertising should be appointed by the Chairman to solicit advertising (and associate members) either directly or with aid of members to pave the way for an approach by Mr. Copp to obtain advertising and to help make the best practical use of Mr. Copp’s services.”
(It was understood by this action that the Committee on Advertising becomes a committee of the Board rather than a sub-committee of the Executive Committee, the membership of the Committee remaining as appointed by the Executive Committee: F.K. Richtmyer, Chairman, M. J. Kelly and P.E. Klopsteg.)
XII. Adoption of Budget for 1939:
A budget schedule as prepared by the Executive Committee at its December meeting and slightly revised at its meeting on February 23, 1939 was presented to the Board with recommendation for its adoption.
On motion of Mr. Fletcher it was voted:
that the budget for 1939 proposed by the Executive Committee be adopted, this budget being as follows:
| INCOME | O & E | Advt. Dept. | R.S.I. | J.A.P. | J.C.P. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Chge. (15%) | $8,700 | |||||
| Contr. from socs.(5%) | 2,900 | |||||
| Assoc. Dues | 2,500 | |||||
| Special project | 100 | |||||
| Advt. (Less disc.) | 15,720 | |||||
| Journal subs. | 7,400 | 12,000 | 8,900 | |||
| Net: Pub'd Arts. | 260 | 650 | 1,500 | |||
| Net: Single copies | 180 | 750 | 800 | |||
| Total Income | $14,200 | $15,720 | $7,840 | $13,400 | $11,200 | |
| EXPENSE | O & E | Advt. Dept. | R.S.I. | J.A.P. | J.C.P. | |
| O & E | $9,080 | |||||
| Equip. & Maint. | 700 | |||||
| Advt. Selling | 3,940 | |||||
| Advt. (p & m) | 3,600 | |||||
| P & M (Text) | 5,700 | 9,050 | 6,800 | |||
| Engravings | 700 | 2,250 | 880 | |||
| Ed. Mech. | Sals. | 490 | 1,000 | 950 | ||
| Exp. | 100 | 200 | 200 | |||
| Ed's Office | Sals. | 1,700 | 2,640 | 1,360 | ||
| Exp. | 100 | 200 | 100 | |||
| Subscrip. | Sals. | 2,020 | 1,450 | 500 | ||
| Exp. | 630 | 450 | 160 | |||
| Travel | — | 400 | — | |||
| Misc. | 200 | 130 | 80 | |||
| Total | 9,780 | 7,540 | 11,640 | 17,770 | 11,030 | |
| Chc.(?) Pro. | Sals & Exp. | 40 | 530 | 70 | ||
| Mailing | 50 | 760 | 100 | |||
| Research Corp. Int. | — | 100 | — | |||
| To reduce deficit | 2,900 | |||||
| Total | $12,680 | $7,540 | $11,730 | $19,160 | $11,200 | |
| Profit | 1,520 | 8,180 | -3,890 | -5,760 | 0 | |
| Net Profit | $50 | |||||
| No. of text pages | 450 | 840 | 980 | |||
| R.S.I. | J.A.P. | J.C.P. | ||||
XIII. Report of Sub-Committee Appointed by Executive Committee to Study the Relationships Among Journals:
At the December meeting of the Executive Committee a sub-committee consisting of Messrs. Barton, Kelly and Pegram had been designated to prepare questionnaires through which to obtain from subscribers information to be examined and reported to the Executive Committee and to the Board on questions relating to the present and possible future content and subscription price of the journals, Review of Scientific Instruments and Journal of Applied Physics. Mr. Kelly reporting for the Committee submitted a tabulation of results from questionnaires, each of which was sent to four hundred subscribers chosen at random from the group to which it was sent. He submitted also copies of these questionnaires that were sent out. The sending of these questionnaires was made possible by an anonymous gift made for this purpose. Copies of them are attached to the official copy of the Minutes.
Mr. Kelly stated for the sub-committee that it did not appear to the committee that the results from the questionnaires gave a clear indication of the desirability of any drastic changing or shifting of the contents of the journals; that the committee did not think that much additional information could be obtained by sending out an increased number of questionnaires; that the result that appears as clear as any from the questionnaires is that the instrument section of the Review of Scientific Instruments is much appreciated for its value and that the study should be continued by the Executive Committee and by the Board.
On motion it was voted:
that the report be received and the recommendations adopted.
XIV. Report of Committee on Advertising Policy:
The Committee on Advertising Policy was appointed in May 1938 as a result of a question raised at the March 1938 meeting of the Board by one of the representatives of the American Association of Physics Teachers, namely as to whether the Board of Governors would raise objection to the carrying of advertising by the American Physics Teacher or more generally by any of the journals of the founder societies. This Committee composed of Mr. Frederic Palmer, Chairman, Mr. H.L. Dodge, Mr. A.C. Hardy and Mr. G.B. Pegram, was charged with the responsibility of studying the advertising policy of the Institute and of recommending to the Governing Board for its adoption that policy which appears best suited to promote the interest of the science of physics. Mr. Pegram reporting for the Committee in the absence of the Chairman, Mr. Palmer, submitted a seven page report which discusses the history of the advertising policy of the Institute and its relationship to the several types of journals published by the societies and by the Institute and makes recommendations which are briefly summarized in the closing section. A copy of this report is attached to the official Minutes.
After full discussion it was on motion voted:
that the report of the Committee on Advertising Policy be received and that items (1) (after slight amendment), (2), (5) and (6) of the summary of recommendations contained therein be approved, these items being as follows:
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“That the officers of the Institute shall recommend to the Governing Board whatever policy they deem best in connection with the carrying of advertising in more than one of the Institute journals.”
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“That the Institute should discourage the handling of advertising by any Founder Society in its journal irrespective of the nature of such journal.”
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“That with an arrangement of journals of this kind the advertising should all be handled by the Institute and carried in one journal or duplicated with an appropriate rate of charge at the option of the advertiser.”
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“That all profit from advertising be regarded as general Institute income to be used for any Institute purposes, but especially for the support of journals; the allocation of such funds to be determined by the need of the chosen journals for support and the value of their contributions to the promotion of physics in the broadest sense.”
On motion it was voted:
to refer the items (3) and (4) of this summary of recommendations to the Sub-Committee of the Executive Committee on the Relations Between Journals, that Committee to be augmented in such way as the Chairman deems wise.
In relation to item (1) of the Summary of Recommendations it was on motion voted:
that the Sub-Committee on Advertising be instructed to determine methods for obtaining the greatest income from advertising.
XV. Tenth Anniversary Meeting of Acoustical Society of America:
On motion it was voted:
that the Institute should send congratulations to the Acoustical Society of America on the occasion of its tenth anniversary to be observed at a meeting in April, and that the officers of the Institute should prepare a suitable communication to the Acoustical Society of America.
XVI. Report of Nominating Committee:
Several weeks before the meeting of the Board the Chairman had appointed a Nominating Committee consisting of Mr. Compton, Chairman, Mr. E. C. Crittenden and Mr. P.E. Klopsteg.
Mr. Compton reporting for the Committee presented the following nominations:
| Chairman | John T. Tate |
| Secretary | George B. Pegram |
| Treasurer | George B. Pegram |
| Assistant Treasurer | Henry A. Barton |
No other nominations being presented it was on motion of Mr. Richtmyer voted:
that Mr. E.C. Crittenden be requested to cast a single ballot for these nominations.
Mr. Crittenden reported the ballot cast and the Chairman declared the officers elected.
XVII. Appointment of Committees:
It was on motion voted:
that the following committees be continued and that the Chairman be empowered to appoint the members of these committees:
- Executive Committee
- Science Abstracts
- Printing Contracts
- Advisory Council on Applied Physics
- Advisory Committee on a Temperature Symposium
- Temperature Symposium Committee
- Employment of Physicists
- Inter-Relation of Journals
- Joint Science Committee of the National Association of Manufacturers
XVIII. Committee to Study Trends in Science Instruction:
Under new business Mr. Klopsteg proposed a motion that the American Institute of Physics appoint a committee to study the trends in science instruction in secondary schools and colleges, and to recommend possible procedures by the Institute by which the integrity of physics as a fundamental science may be preserved.
After some discussion it was on motion voted:
that the subject of this motion be referred for study to a committee to be composed of Mr. Klopsteg, the Chairman of the Board, and the President of the American Association of Physics Teachers.
XIX. Political Interference in Science:
Mr. Mooney then raised the question as to whether the Institute of Physics wished to go on record expressing sympathy with scientists who are oppressed by totalitarian governments and condemning such governments for such oppression. This suggestion was discussed rather fully, one additional point being made, namely that communistic states should be condemned on the same grounds as well as totalitarian states. It appeared to be the general sense of the Board that no formal action should be taken.
XX. The meeting then adjourned.