March 20, 1970

Executive Committee of the American Institute of Physics

Minutes of Meeting

Members Present: Ralph A. Sawyer – Chairman, Stanley S. Ballard, Ronald Geballe, W. W. Havens, Jr., R. B. Lindsay, Mary E. Warga, H. W. Koch

Absent: Robert G. Sachs

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

Chairman Sawyer called the meeting to order at 2:05 p.m.

1. Minutes

Upon motion made, seconded, and carried without dissent, the minutes of the meeting of January 28, 1970, were approved as distributed.

2. Reports of Journal Editors

The Director reported that reports for calendar year 1969 had been received from the editors of JAP and APL, JCP, RSI, and PT. Reports from the editors of JMP and PF are expected soon. The reports are on file and are available to anyone who wishes to examine them.

As reported previously, we are looking for new editors for JAP and APL and also JMP. We expect to be ready to make appointments soon.

3. Corporate Associates

The Director read a memorandum from Miss Lasky in which the following table appeared:

Dues collections from Corporate Associates this year are running behind collections for the same period in 1969. So far this year seven companies have formally withdrawn from membership and there are twelve other companies who have not yet paid their dues or indicated their intentions. Three companies have been elected to membership this year and Communications Satellite Corporation with three physicists has sent us a check for $500 and requested membership. On motion made, seconded, and passed with dissent Communications Satellite Corporation was elected a Corporate Associate of the Institute for 1970.

4. Authorization for Treasurer to Invest Temporarily Unneeded Funds in “Bank-Guaranteed Obligations”

The Treasurer recalled that the Executive Committee had previously authorized investment of temporarily unneeded funds in Bankers Trust New York Corporation short-term promissory notes. The current money market is experiencing vacillating short-term interest rates and one of the most attractive short-term investments is now Bankers Acceptances. On January 29, 1970, AIP had $400,000 available for investment for 30 days. At that time Bankers Trust Notes paid 7 ½% whereas Bankers Acceptances, guaranteed by Bankers Trust Company, paid 8 ½%. The Treasurer said there is no telling how these rates will fluctuate in the future but he would like to be in a position to take advantage of the highest rate available for a sound investment. Accordingly, the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

MOVED that the Treasurer be authorized to invest temporarily unneeded funds in obligations guaranteed by Bankers Trust Company.

5. Authorization for 1969 Amortization of Fulfillment Changeover to Magnetic Tape

The Treasurer distributed a memorandum dated March 20, 1970, (copy attached) explaining how the changeover account which amounted to $73,250.84 as of December 31, 1968, could be amortized quite logically and painlessly. After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

MOVED that the 1969 amortization of the fulfillment changeover account as proposed by the Treasurer be approved.

As indicated in the memorandum, the Treasurer said that he expected to be able to make recommendations for further amortization of the account during 1970 at the time a revised 1970 budget is presented at the July 10 meeting.

6. Status of Negotiations with IEE on Information Services

The Director reviewed our past cooperation with the Institution of Electrical Engineers of London in connection with PHYSICS ABSTRACTS and CURRENT PAPERS IN PHYSICS. IEE has been developing what they hope will be a world-wide physics information system and they have made several proposals about how their system can be linked with the AIP Information Program. Their proposals to date have not been acceptable to us. At its recent meeting, our Advisory Committee on the AIP Information Program expressed concern about our doing some things which IEE is already doing and urged us to develop a cooperative program. The Director said he had already made several recommendations to IEE and he planned to go to London in May or June with the hope of developing plans for cooperation.

7. Relations with NAS Physics Survey Committee

The Director recalled that at the meeting of January 28, 1970, the Executive Committee had appropriated $5,000 for a special project to make AIP services or information available to the Physics Survey Committee. Since then officers of AIP Member Societies and others have expressed further dissatisfaction about the way the Physics Survey Committee is organized and these complaints have apparently persuaded Allan Bromley, Chairman of the Committee, to make some changes. The Director read a telegram from Handler to Ralph Sawyer requesting permission of the AIP Governing Board to appoint the Director an ex officio member of the Physics Survey Committee. The Executive Committee viewed this telegram as an encouraging sign and the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

MOVED that the Executive Committee recommend to the Governing Board that permission be granted to NAS to name the Director of the Institute as an ex officio member of the Physics Survey Committee.

8. Report of Property Committee and Authorization to Lease Space

The Secretary reported that the Property Committee had met recently to decide what action should be taken to provide space for the Editorial Section. That Section now occupies space in the Commerce Building and the in the Honeywell Building and the leases on both spaces expire in April and October of 1971. We do not expect to be able to renew the leases and, anyway, we would like to get the entire group in one location. If it could be worked out, there is also good reason to have Editorial and Information close together because their activities should be rather closely coupled in the near future.

The Property Committee reviewed many possibilities which had been suggested including a new building in the neighborhood which would house the entire Institute staff. Because of the current uncertainties about the future, the Property Committee concluded that we should plan for only five years ahead and try to rent space for that period of time which will accommodate all of the Editorial Section and provide also for the Information Division if that seems feasible. From past experience we have learned that prompt action is necessary if we are to take advantage of the best deals on space and the Property Committee requested authorization to rent space for a five-year period for the Editorial Section (and possibly the Information Division also) if a good deal can be found. After brief discussion the following motion was made, seconded, and passed without dissent:

MOVED that the Property Committee be authorized to rent space as requested.

9. Review of Governing Board Agenda

The Executive Committee reviewed the agenda for the Governing Board meeting on the following day.

1. Financial Handling Charge for 1971

   The financial handling charge provided by the new By-Laws was set at one-half of one per cent for 1970 and the staff recommended that it continue the same in 1971. Accordingly, 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 1971 be set at one-half of one per cent (0.5%).

2. Appointment of Committees and Representatives

   In reviewing the list of suggested appointments that had been sent to all Board members prior to the meeting, the Director said that the membership of the Advisory Committee on the AIP Information Program had been left blank awaiting word from the Societies about their official representatives.

   The Director said he also proposed to recommend to the Governing Board some major changes in the organization of COMPAS. He would propose that COMPAS be made up of one member to be named by each of the seven AIP Member Societies and approximately an equal number of members-at-large to be selected by the Chairman and Director in consultation with the new COMPAS chairman who we hope will be Frederick Seitz. By motion made, seconded, and passed without dissent the Executive Committee approved of the proposed reorganization and recommended it to the Governing Board.

   Mr. Lindsay noted that there was no representative of the Acoustical Society on either the Advisory Committee on Education and Manpower or the Advisory Committee on PHYSICS TODAY. The Director explained that it had not been customary to ask the Member Societies to name representatives to these committees but said he would be glad to consider recommendations.

3. Tax Problems

   The Secretary said that he and Mr. Gilbert had prepared a “Report on Sixth Annual Conference on Federal Tax Problems of Non-Profit Organizations” (copy attached to Governing Board minutes) which had been distributed to all members of the Governing Board. Mr. Havens said he would like to have the AIP staff look into all aspects of tax exemption for the Institute and the Societies. Members are urging APS to ask Congress to appropriate more money for physics and they are not satisfied with the answer that we can do nothing because we would violate our tax-exempt status. Mr. Waterfall said that he had asked AIP legal counsel to make a study of the pros and cons of the various categories of tax exemption and also to consider what might be involved in forgoing the tax-exempt status altogether.

4. Journal Schedules and Publication Charge Honoring

   The Director reported that both journal schedules and honoring look surprisingly good at the present time but they could change at any moment. He said he would like to be in a position to reimpose the delay in publishing unhonored articles if that should appear to be desirable. Mr. Havens said he felt that the Director had that authority but, to make it clear, he introduced the following motion which was seconded and passed without dissent:

   MOVED that the Executive Committee reaffirm its previous authorization to introduce delays in the publication of unhonored articles in any AIP journals when it appears that the failure to honor will jeopardize the financial status of the journal.

10. Other Business

The Director recalled that he had been authorized to offer PHYSICS TODAY to members of the European Physical Society at special member rates. He said he would like to make the same offer to members of the Canadian Physical Society. By motion made, seconded, and passed without dissent he was authorized to do so.

The Director reported that AIP is being visited by a team from the General Accounting Office which will spend several months making an administrative review of our Physics Information Program. Because of the large amounts of money involved in the various Information programs, GAO is making a similar administrative review both at NSF offices in Washington and at the ACS Chemical Abstracts office in Columbus, Ohio.

Mr. Ballard reported that a meeting had been held at AIP on the preceding day attended by representatives of AAPT, the Commission on College Physics, and the AIP Education and Manpower Division. The purpose was to consider what should be done about the CCP program when its grant expires in August 1971. All the AIP Member Societies have an interest in education and it had been suggested that AIP might set up some board on which all Societies could be represented to direct whatever program was decided upon. This suggestion seemed to meet with general approval and the matter was left for further consideration.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:07 p.m.