March 24, 1972

Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics

Minutes of Meeting

Members Present: H. R. Crane – Chairman, Joseph A. Burton, I. E. Dayton, W. W. Havens, Jr., G. A. Jeffrey, H. William Koch, A. I. Mahan

Absent: Wilbur V. Johnson

AIP Staff Present: H. William Koch, Director; Wallace Waterfall, Secretary; G. F. Gilbert, Treasurer; Lewis Slack, Assoc. Director for General Activities; Robert H. Marks, Assoc. Director for Publishing & Information; Dorothy M. Lasky, Assistant to the Director; Mary M. Johnson, Assistant to the Secretary

Chairman Crane called the meeting to order at 2:00 p.m.

1. Minutes

Upon motion made and passed without dissent, the minutes of the Executive Committee meeting of February 1, 1972, were approved as distributed.

2. Review of Governing Board Agenda and Action or Recommended Action

The Executive Committee reviewed the entire agenda of the Governing Board meeting to take place on the following day. Where considered appropriate, the Executive Committee took final action to be reported to the Board and, in other instances, the Executive Committee recommended Board action as indicated below.

  1. Annual Report for 1971

    Koch called attention to the draft of the proposed Annual Report for 1971, copies of which had been sent to all members of the Governing Board prior to the meeting. He said that, last year, there had been considerable discussion of the comments made in the Report about the employment situation. He said he knew that some physicists were more pessimistic about the situation than he indicated in the draft and he would like to have the opinion of Executive Committee members on this subject. Burton, Havens, and Mahan said they believed the tone of the Report was about right.

    There was discussion of other points made in the proposed Report and a number of suggestions were made. Koch said that all of these suggestions would be taken into consideration in preparing the final draft. He also said he would propose to the Governing Board that a summary of the Annual Report be published in PHYSICS TODAY. The following motion was then made, seconded, and carried without dissent:

    MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board that the proposed Annual Report for 1971 be adopted with such changes as may be recommended by the Board.

  2. Optional Air Freight for Asia

    Marks pointed out that it now takes two or three months for journals to reach Japan and other Asian countries by sea mail. Overseas Courier Service America, Inc., has proposed to air freight our journals to Tokyo and distribute them from there and thus greatly speed up distribution. Surface mail would be used for countries outside of Japan but the total elapsed time in distribution for a country as far away as India would be only ten to fourteen days. The extra cost of air freight distribution would range from about $3.00 per year for small infrequently-issued journals to as much as $47.00 per year for journals such as JCP. We believe that a number of subscribers would like to avail themselves of this faster service and we propose that it be offered to them if they are willing to pay the extra cost. Marks asked for approval of the air freight option for AIP-owned journals with the understanding that the air freight option would be offered to Member Societies for their journals if they wished to adopt it. The following motion was then made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that 1973 subscribers in selected Asian Countries be offered the opportunity to receive their journals by air freight provided they are willing to pay the extra costs involved.

  3. Subscription Agency Discounts

    Marks said that we now allow subscription agencies a discount of 5% on all AIP published journals with a maximum of $1.00 per subscription. These discounts for AIP and Society journals now amount to about $58,000 per year. For many years the agencies have contended that the discounts we allow do not cover their costs but they continue to handle our journals, probably recouping their costs from subscribers in many cases. Last year the American Chemical Society discontinued discounts altogether and they report no adverse effect on subscriptions. Marks said the staff recommended that agents’ discounts be discontinued altogether in 1973 and the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that agency discounts be eliminated on subscriptions to all journals for calendar year 1973.

  4. Copyright Study Proposed by ACS

    Marks reported that, during the past year, AIP had participated in a number of discussions with other publishers on the copyright law. The current copyright law was passed in 1909 and is now very much out of date because of the increasing utilization of photocopying techniques. Committees of Congress have been working on a new copyright bill for about 16 years and the situation has become so complicated that organizations such as AIP do not know quite what stand they should take on the proposed new legislation. The American Chemical Society has proposed that a group of publishers finance a study to be made by George Washington University’s Patent-Trademark-Copyright Institute at a cost of approximately $40,000. ACS has said that their board of directors has authorized the expenditure of $2,500 toward the cooperative effort and has suggested that AIP contribute the same amount. We believe we should participate with the understanding that the study is directed along lines which will be applicable to the problems of AIP and the Member Societies. After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that $2,500 be authorized for participation in the proposed study of revised copyright legislation.

  5. Financial Handling Charge for 1973

    Gilbert recalled that AIP Bylaws provide that Member Societies pay a financial handling charge not to exceed 1% of the monetary value of business done on their behalf. The handling charge is fixed annually by the Governing Board and the charge for 1972 was fixed at 5/8 of 1%. Gilbert said that the staff recommended that the financial handling charge for 1973 again be set at 5/8 of 1% and the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board that the financial handling charge for calendar year 1973 be set at 5/8 of 1% (0.625%).

  6. Establishment of Publishing Reserve

    Gilbert distributed copies of the financial report for calendar year 1971 which showed a net income of $185,590. He said that the 1971 budget, as adopted by the Executive Committee in December of 1970, contemplated placing $150,000 in a Publishing Reserve if the budgeted net income of $199,000 was realized. Since the net income came close to budget Gilbert recommended that the proposed Publishing Reserve be established and that $150,000 be transferred to it from the 1971 net income. The remainder of the net income would be placed in Accumulated Income. He pointed out that publishing is our big business involving expenditures of about $3,000,000 per year, that there are many contingencies involved in the operation, and that a reserve to cover these is highly desirable. After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that a Publishing Reserve be established and that $150,000 from 1971 net income be transferred to the Reserve.

  7. Application of AAPM to Become a Member Society

    Waterfall reported that a formal application had been received from the American Association of Physicists in Medicine to become a full Member Society of AIP. AAPM has been an Affiliated Society since March 1967. With Executive Committee approval AAPM now has their headquarters with us and we perform many services for them including dues billing and collection, publishing their “Quarterly Bulletin,” providing secretarial services, etc. AAPM was organized in 1958, became incorporated in 1965 as a 501(c)(3) organization and now has 676 members of whom approximately 27% are members of other AIP Member Societies. Our relations with AAPM have been very satisfactory and we understand they are considering publishing another journal to be handled by AIP.

    In the discussion, Havens said an increasing number of physicists were becoming involved in medical research and that APS was interested in the field. He said that a question had been raised in APS about whether the growth of AAPM would disadvantageously affect APS and he said it was his opinion that it would not. He then proposed the following motion which was seconded and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board that AAPM be nominated for Member Society status.

  8. Application of Cryogenic Society of America to Become an Affiliated Society

    Waterfall reported that, during the last two years, there had been some correspondence with the Cryogenic Society of America concerning their becoming an Affiliate. They have apparently been in the process of reorganization and a letter dated March 14, 1972, was received from their board chairman in which he said that the officers of the Society agreed that they should seek affiliated status and he was sure their board would back this position. Because their board has not yet taken formal action on the application and also because there has not been sufficient time to get all the information we should have about the Society, Waterfall suggested that the Executive Committee should recommend that action be deferred until some later meeting of the Governing Board. Accordingly, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board that action on the application of the Cryogenic Society of America for affiliation with AIP be deferred until further information regarding the Society is available.

  9. Report on Corporate Associates – Election of KMS-Fusion

    Miss Lasky presented a report on the current status of the Corporate Associates program which is appended as Exhibit A.

    She also said that KMS-Fusion had applied for Corporate Associate membership and had sent their purchase order for $500 but their check had not yet been received. The following motion was then made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that KMS-Fusion be elected a Corporate Associate contingent on receipt of dues payment.

  10. Hall of Fame Request

    After endorsement by AIP and many other organizations, Albert Abraham Michelson was elected to the Hall of Fame for Great Americans at New York University in 1970. Koch reported that he had received a letter from the Hall of Fame, dated March 8, 1972, in which they requested AIP, as the leading organization in the field to which Dr. Michelson dedicated his career, to appoint a committee charged with the raising of the necessary funds to underwrite the expenses of the investiture ceremony. The proposed budget attached to the letter totaled approximately $26,000 and included funds for a bronze bust and tablet, printing the necessary programs, and many other items including $5,000 as a contribution to the endowment fund. Koch said that he and Crane had previously been visited by a representative of the Hall of Fame at which time the proposal had been discussed. Koch said the Hall of Fame people had indicated they would do most of the leg work in raising the funds and preparing for the ceremony but it was clear they wanted AIP to take the lead in the fund-raising.

    There was much discussion of the proposal. Koch said he did not believe AIP should take full responsibility but should participate with other organizations. Havens said he had discussed the matter with the APS Council and had received a negative reaction. Dayton said he felt the proposed budget was unreasonably large and contained too many items which had little to do with the Michelson investiture and he was opposed to everything except the first two items for the bust and the bronze tablet. The following motion was finally prepared and presented. It was moved, seconded, and passed with dissenting votes from Dayton and Jeffrey:

    MOVED that AIP decline the invitation from The Hall of Fame for Great Americans, contained in Mr. Niles’ letter of March 8, 1972, to appoint a committee of AIP which would be charged with the raising of approximately $26,000 to pay for a bronze bust of Albert Abraham Michelson and cover other expenses involved in the installation ceremonies and, furthermore, that AIP suggest as an alternative that the Hall of Fame appoint a committee of its own for the purpose composed of five or more members nominated by organizations which endorsed Dr. Michelson, one of which nominees would be named by AIP.

  11. Inclusion of AIP Journals in CPI and Proposal to Societies

    Koch gave a preview of the presentation he intended to make to the Governing Board on the following day covering the status of the Current Physics Information program and the plans for 1973. He said that funds for continuing the program through calendar year 1972 were assured by current grants and that the financial picture for 1973 appeared promising based on the status of current negotiations. He said he would ask the Governing Board to take actions as follows:

    1. Authorize continuation of the present direction of the CPI program in 1973 subject to the approval of all details by the Executive Committee at its meeting in June.

    2. Authorize the inclusion of all AIP-owned journals in the CPI program in 1973 and authorize the staff to approach the staff to approach the Societies with the request that they permit their journals to be included in the 1973 program, all contingent on approval by the Executive Committee of the details as indicated above.

    3. Authorize the sale of archival microfilm for 1972 to subscribers of Current Physics Microfilm at a discount of 25% off of the published price.

    Much discussion of the financial viability of the program followed. Koch emphasized that he is convinced that arrangements can be worked out so that journal costs will be no greater in 1973 than in 1972 if the AIP journals and Society journals agree to utilize the capabilities provided in the CPI program. The consensus of Committee members appeared to be that the proposed program seems plausible but that more financial details will be needed at the time of the June meeting to justify approval of proposed operations for 1973. The following motion was then made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

    MOVED that the three actions to be proposed to the Governing Board be recommended by the Executive Committee.

3. Future Meeting

After discussion of possible dates with the Executive Committee members present it was decided that June 16 would be the most satisfactory date for the next meeting.

4. Other Business

  1. Filing for New York City Tax Exemption on Property

    Waterfall said the Institute had been notified early this year that its property had been placed back on the tax rolls effective January l. We understand that all other organizations of our type have received similar notices. This means we may be liable for taxes of approximately $50,000 for 1972 plus one-half year’s back taxes for a total tax liability of approximately $75,000. We have been given the option of applying for continued tax exemption and our attorneys are preparing and will submit the necessary papers toward this end. We have no means of knowing whether we will be successful.

  2. Sale of Medallic Art Property

    Waterfall recalled that there have been discussions in the past about the possibility of our buying the Medallic Art property next door. We submitted a bid of $600,000 about a year ago but had little hope of its being accepted. We had a call recently from the bank which is charged with selling the property asking us whether we were still interested at a price something over one million dollars. After consultation with Bankers Trust Company and others we told them we were not.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:00 p.m.