Contents

Collection Summary

Biographical Note

Scope and Content Note

Organization of the Papers

Selected Search Terms

National Bureau of Standards,1921-1983

Professional Activities, 1928-1984

Miscellany, 1934-1984

Allen Varley Astin Papers

A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress

Prepared by Nan Thompson Ernst and Susie H. Moody

1995

Biographical Note

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Scope and Content Note

The papers of Allen Varley Astin (1904-1984) span the years 1921-1984 with the bulk of the material concentrated in the period 1950-1970. The collection is organized into three series. The National Bureau of Standards series documents Astin's forty-year career at the bureau, most especially his role as director, 1952-1969. The Professional Activities series documents his association with scientific, academic, governmental, and public administration organizations. A small file concerning his term as acting assistant secretary for science and technology at the Commerce Department is combined with a few family and personal papers into a Miscellany series.

The National Bureau of Standards series relates to all phases of Astin's career, including his earliest scientific research in measurement techniques for dielectric (electric insulating) materials, telemetering, and electronic instrumentation. Since the National Bureau of Standards was founded in 1901 to coincide with the electrification of American industry, Astin's initial research was among the work most emphasized at the bureau. During World War II, ordnance research dominated its program, and Astin was one of the scientists assembled at the bureau in 1940 to develop proximity fuses for bombs and rockets. In 1944 and 1945, he represented the bureau in London working in liaison with the Office of Scientific Research and Development and the British armed forces. Astin's proximity fuse file chiefly documents technical and tactical matters, yet reference is also made to the strategic decision not to use proximity fuses in Europe and to their limited use in the Burma and China.

Astin's papers also document his active leadership in the formulation of public policy relating to science. The National Bureau of Standards series provides a record of his influence, including his role in the controversy over negative findings on the battery additive marketed as "AD-X2." Dismissed by Secretary of Commerce Sinclair Weeks, Astin was exonerated by a scientific council appointed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and overseen by the National Academy of Sciences. A subsequent report to the Secretary of Commerce made recommendations, which Astin helped to develop, for a reorganization of the National Bureau of Standards which eliminated ordnance research from its program and emphasized its primary role in establishing measurement standards and reliable properties of materials. Documentation for the AD-X2 controversy is located principally in the administrative file of the series.

Eisenhower approved the committee recommendations, reinstated Astin, and transferred the ordnance program to the Defense Department. Two new laboratories were then established by Defense: the Harry Diamond Laboratory in Washington, D.C., and the Corona Laboratory in California. Astin's association with these laboratories is documented in the Professional Activities series. Reorganization and relocation of the bureau to Gaithersburg, Maryland, is documented in the administrative file of the National Bureau of Standards series. In addition, the publications file in the same series includes Astin's 1968 interview for the Columbia University oral history of the Eisenhower administration and a draft manuscript for the bicentennial history of the bureau, "Measures of Assurance," both of which treat the AD-X2 controversy and bureau reorganization. Some of Astin's 1953 speeches in the National Bureau of Standards series also refer to the controversy.

Public speaking and publication files in the National Bureau of Standards series document Astin's articulation of the bureau's mission to governmental, scientific, and civic groups throughout the country and at European and Asian conferences. His extensive involvement in scientific associations, documented in the Professional Activities series, reflects the rise of late-twentieth-century research by committee and Astin's influence on the agenda of research programs in private and public laboratories. Other files in the Professional Activities series concern his efforts in scientific panels and governmental committees to define an autonomous role for scientists in public service.

Papers documenting Astin's role in international matters include the International Committee on Weights and Measures file in the National Bureau of Standards series and files for his work with State Department cooperative science programs in France and Japan in the Professional Activities series. Astin initiated studies at the bureau which were used in support of the Metric Conversion Act of 1975. The United States Metric Board file in the Professional Activities series documents his later work on national conversion.

Several letters and a few school and theatrical papers in the Miscellany series pertain to Astin's son, the actor John Astin, who is known for his portrayal of "Gomez" on the 1960s television show, "The Addams Family."

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Selected Search Terms

People

• Astin, Allen Varley, 1904-1984.
• Astin, John.

Organizations

• United States. National Bureau of Standards.
• United States. Office of Scientific Research and Development.

Subjects

• Bombardment.
• Electric apparatus and appliances.
• Electric insulators and insulation.
• Electrification.
• Metric system.
• Ordnance.
• Proximity fuzes.
• Science and state--United States.
• Science--International cooperation.
• Telemeter.
• Weights and measures.
• World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations.
• World War, 1939-1945--England--London.

Places

• Great Britain--Armed Forces.

Occupations

• Physicists.
• Public officials.

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Organization of the Papers

The collection is arranged in three series:

• National Bureau of Standards, 1921-1983
• Professional Activities, 1928-1984
• Miscellany, 1934-1984

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Container List

National Bureau of Standards, 1921-1983

Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, agendas, reports, studies, congressional testimony, printed matter, photographs, writings, speeches and conference papers, research data, university teaching and in-house training course records, and other material from Astin's career with the bureau.

Organized alphabetically by subject or type of material and chronologically thereunder.

Administrative files, Office of the Director

AD-X2 battery additive controversy

Correspondence, memoranda, and miscellany, 1952-1961, undated

"Report of the Committee on Battery Additives of the National Academy of Sciences," 1953 (7 folders)(2 folders)

"Report to the Secretary of Commerce," Ad Hoc Committee for Evaluation of Present Functions and Operations of National Bureau of Standards, 1953

Appointment

Letters of congratulations, 1951-1952 (2 folders)

Memoranda, clippings, and miscellany, 1951-1952

Swearing in ceremony, circa 1952

Authorizing legislation and orders, 1950-1968

Biographies, 1962-1969, undated

Boulder, Colo., laboratory, 1954-1961, undated

Budget

Planning documents, 1966-1967, undated

Statements, 1967-1969

Building research, 1962-1964, undated

"Century 21 Exposition," Seattle, Wash., 1958-1962

Conferences, 1952-1969, undated

Condon, Edward U.

Banquet to honor, 1951

Correspondence and clippings, 1952-1968

Congressional testimony, 1955-1969, undated

Curtis, Harvey Lincoln, 1975-1976

Diary, Apr.-Sept. 1954

Executive leadership programs, 1962-1964

Executive personality analysis, 1954

International Bureau of Weights and Measures, Sevres, France, 1958-1967, undated

International cooperation

General, 1956-1968, undated (2 folders)

USSR, 1956-1966, undated

Administrative files, Office of the Director

Memoranda

Commerce Department, 1953-1968, undated

Interoffice, 1950-1969, undated (2 folders)

Mission statement and goals, 1963-1965, undated

Oddities, 1955-1964, undated (2 folders)

Photographs

Award presentations, dinners, 1951-1969, undated

Meetings, groups, and visitors, 1953-1970, undated

Portraits, circa 1950-1970, undated

Miscellaneous persons and places, 1955, undated

Relocation to Gaithersburg, Md.

Dedication week ceremonies

Open house printed matter, 1966, undated

Photographs, 1966, undated (4 folders)

Miscellaneous, 1961-1969

Reports, 1947-1969, undated

Retirement, 1969, undated

Boulder, Colo., activities

Correspondence (2 folders)

Gaithersburg, Md., activities (2 folders)

Printed matter

Science policy, 1951-1967, undated

Semicentennial, 1951

Studies

Research support to universities, 1960-1967

Scientific institutions, 1968-1969 (2 folders)

Scientific personnel

General, 1953-1968, undated (2 folders)

National Bureau of Standards, 1953-1966, undated

Telephone directories, 1950-1956

Awards, commendations, and honors

Civil Service League, Career Service Award, 1960

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Harry Diamond Award, 1970

Miscellaneous, circa 1945-1967

Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., Rockefeller Public Service Award, 1963

General correspondence

1949-1954 (2 folders)

1955-1970, undated (5 folders)

Personnel records (Astin), 1935-1960

Publications

About Astin, clippings and offprints, 1949-1968

By Astin

Copies and offprints, 1931-1969, undated (4 folders)

Drafts and related material

1948-1952, miscellaneous

1954

"The IEC and the National Bureau of Standards," Magazine of Standards

"Physical Standards and Industrial Progress," for proposed book

1958, "Standardization of the Inch"

1959

"An Atomic Standard for Length Measurement," Engineer's News Supplement, New York Herald Tribune Co.

Statement, Encyclopedic Dictionary of Electronics and Nuclear Engineering

1960, "Miniaturization -- A New Science," preface for proposed book

1961-1966, miscellaneous

1967, "Measurement Accuracy at Radio Frequencies," proceedings of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

1968

Oral history transcript, Eisenhower Administration Project, Columbia University, New York, N.Y.

"A Time for Action in International Standardization," Materials Research and Standards

"Voluntary Standardization and the Government: Fifty Years of Cooperation," Magazine of Standards

1969, "Management and the Metric System," Defense Management Journal

1981-1983, Commerce Department oral history project

Undated

About the National Bureau of Standards

Clippings, offprints and reprints, 1951-1966, undated

Official brochures and pamphlets

1925-1951 (2 folders)

1952-1969 (2 folders)

"Measures of Assurance: A History of the National Bureau of Standards, 1951-1976," typescript for comment, 1972-1976 (3 folders)

By National Bureau of Standards staff

Printed matter, 1921-1975 (2 folders)

Typescripts, 1938-1976 (4 folders)

Miscellaneous, circa 1930-1968, undated (2 folders)

Research records

Correspondence, 1936-1949

Data

Negative power factor, 1938

Unidentified, undated

Electronic computers section

Correspondence and memoranda, 1949-1951, undated

Reports, 1947-1950

"Handbook of Physical Measurement"

"Electricity" volume

Introduction, 1946, undated

"Power and Energy" chapter, undated

Outline, 1947

Induction and capacitance section reports, 1939-1940

Ordnance Development Division

Memoranda, 1946-1947

Research

Arctic Test Detachment, United States Army, Ft. Churchill, Manitoba, Canada, 1948-1949

General, 1954-1958, undated

Proximity fuse

Diamond, Harry, 1945-1949, undated

Miscellaneous photographs and printed matter, 1945-1947, undated

Office of Scientific Research and Development, London Mission

Correspondence and memoranda, 1943-1946, 1959

Notes, undated

Photographs, field tests, undated

Reports, 1944-1945 (2 folders)

Speeches, lectures, and conference records

Nov. 1950-Nov. 1951 (5 folders)

1952

Apr.-Nov. (8 folders)

Dec. (2 folders)

Miscellaneous (2 folders)

1953

Jan.-Nov. (12 folders)

Dec.

Miscellaneous

1954, Feb.-Nov. (19 folders)

1955, Jan.-Nov. (15 folders)

1956

Feb.-June (9 folders)

Sept.-Dec. (3 folders)

Miscellaneous

1957, Jan.-Dec. (9 folders)

1958

Jan.-May (5 folders)

June-Dec. (6 folders)

Miscellaneous

1959, Jan.-Oct. (15 folders)

1960, Apr.-Nov. 1962 (19 folders)

1963, Feb.-Nov. 1965 (11 folders)

1966, Jan.-Dec. (17 folders)

1967, Feb.-Sept. 1969 (20 folders)

1970, Dec.-Sept. 1971 (5 folders)

Undated

Miscellaneous

USSR, conference

Training courses

Electromagnetic theory

George Washington University, Washington, D.C., 1941-1942

Miscellaneous, 1937-1946, undated

Vector analysis and electrostatics, 1939

Professional Activities, 1928-1984

Correspondence, memoranda, minutes, agendas, business records, notes, reports, studies, printed matter, photographs, and other records from Astin's committee work with various organizations.

Arranged alphabetically by title of the organization, institution, agency, or commission and thereunder by subject or document type.

American Association for the Advancement of Science

Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, notes and background material, undated

Correspondence, 1970-1974 (2 folders)

Memoranda, 1970-1973

Minutes, 1971-1973

Printed matter

Guidelines and codes of ethics for professional employment, 1960-1973, undated (3 folders)

Miscellaneous, 1969-1974, undated (2 folders)

Reports, 1967-1974 (4 folders)

American National Standards Institute

Correspondence, 1969-1970

Long-range Planning Committee

Agenda and minutes, 1969-1970

Correspondence, memoranda, and miscellany, 1965-1971, undated (4 folders)

Reports, 1969-1970

American Ordnance Association, 1951-1952

American Philosophical Society

Committee on Meetings, 1980-1983

Correspondence, 1971-1983

Meeting programs, 1958, 1977-1983

Membership nominations, 1972-1984, undated

Memoranda, 1977-1983, undated

Printed matter, 1975-1980

American Physical Society, 1928, 1953-1959

American Society for Testing and Materials

Annual meeting, Atlantic City, N.J., 1971

Committees, 1971

Computerization of laboratory instruments, 1969-1970

Correspondence, 1963-1971

Executive Committee awards, 1965-1971

Fire tests, 1970-1971

Forensic science, 1969-1972

Minutes, 1970-1973

Reports and statements, 1967-1972

Tire tests, 1969-1972

Applied Mathematics Advisory Council, 1948-1950

Commission on Government Procurement, Research and Development Study Group, 1969-1973 (3 folders)

Defense Science Board, 1960-1964 (2 folders)

Environmental Protection Agency, oversight hearings, 1978-1979

Federal Council for Science and Technology, Civil Service Commission

Federal executive service, 1962-1973

National Medal of Science Award Committee, 1962-1968

Printed matter

Miscellaneous, 1966-1970 (2 folders)

Reports, 1954-1971

Symposia, 1963-1968 (2 folders)

Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pa.

Printed matter, 1970-1974

Research Review Committee, 1974-1976

George Washington University Center for Measurement Science, Washington, D.C., 1962-1967 (2 folders)

Harry Diamond Laboratories, Scientific Advisory Committee, 1955-1967

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering

Correspondence, 1956-1983

Field Awards Committee, 1973-1974

Memoranda

1978-1981 (2 folders)

1982-1983 (4 folders)

Reports, 1971-1983 (2 folders)

Speeches and statements, 1976-1979

International Atomic Energy Agency

Draft report, 1971-1972 (3 folders)

Miscellany, 1970-1983

Panel to reexamine the relationship of the United States to, 1962-1972

Study group meetings

21 June-7 July 1971 (2 folders)

16 July 1971

Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., 1958-1969

National Academy of Public Administration

Agenda, 1968-1972

Colloquium on reorganization, 1970

Correspondence, 1968-1982

Effective departmental management conference, 1969

Meetings, 1969-1982

Memoranda, 1968-1983 (5 folders)

Minutes, 1969-1973 (3 folders)

National Academy of Public Administration

Miscellany, 1969-1980, undated (2 folders)

Printed matter, 1972-1979, undated

Reports, 1970-1983

Technology assessment, 1970-1973 (3 folders)

National Academy of Sciences

Advisory Committee to the Department of Housing and Urban Development, 1974

Auditing Committee, 1963-1967, 1982-1983

Biographical Memoirs Committee

Assignments

Correspondence, 1971-1972

Lists, 1971, undated

Suggestions, 1971, undated

Bocher, Maxime, notes, 1971, undated

Foote, Paul D.

Notes, 1953-1974, undated

Text, 1972-1979, undated

Building Research Advisory Board, 1971-1975

Business meetings, 1970-1975 (3 folders)

Bylaws Committee

General, 1965-1974, undated

Proposed amendments, 1971-1973, undated (2 folders)

Cochrane, Rexmond C., centennial history, 1974

Copernicus quincentenary, nature of scientific discovery symposium, 1972-1973

Council meetings, 1972-1975

Criteria of Success in Science conference, Washington, D.C., 1953

General correspondence, 1957-1971, 1981-1983

Election ballots, 1978-1982

Membership Committee

Age distribution studies, 1969-1975, undated

Class memberships, 1967-1975, undated (2 folders)

Elections

Ballot reports, 1973-1975, undated (2 folders)

Procedures, 1970-1973

Nominations, 1974-1975

Quotas, 1970-1974, undated

Motor Vehicle Emissions Committee, 1972-1973

National Academy of Engineering, joint operation of the National Research Council, 1970-1971 (3 folders)

National Bureau of Standards advisory panels, 1964

Office of the Home Secretary, memoranda and notices, 1970-1975, undated

Science and public policy, 1970-1975 (2 folders)

Shockley, William

Ad Hoc Committee on Genetic Factors in Human Performance, 1969-1971 (2 folders)

Miscellany, 1957-1967

Proposed resolution for annual meeting, 1972

SST-Supersonic Boom Committee, 1968-1970

Trust Fund, 1966-1975, undated

National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, 1952-1958

National Aeronautics and Space Administration, 1969-1973

New York University, New York, N.Y., 1952-1960, 1981-1983

Organization of Applied Research in Europe, 1954-1956

Pacific Science Center Foundation, Seattle, Wash.

1962-1966 (2 folders)

1967-1972

Science Service, Inc., Washington, D.C.

Board of Trustees, 1966-1972 (4 folders)

Science News Advisory Committee, 1967-1972

(2 folders)

State Department, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs

United States-France Cooperative Program

Consultant, 1976-1977

Coordinator

General

1969-1971 (4 folders)

1972-1973 (5 folders)

1974-1975 (4 folders)

Trips, 1970-1976 (3 folders)

Facilities inventory reports, 1971 (2 folders)

Printed matter, 1964-1974 (3 folders)

United States-Japan Committee on Scientific Cooperation

Liaison

1961-1967 (6 folders)

1969-1970 (5 folders)

1971 (5 folders)

Member, 1972-1976 (5 folders)

Transportation Department, National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council

Committees

Crash survivability, 1970-1971

General, 1970-1972

Research, 1968-1972

Correspondence, 1969-1972 (3 folders)

First International Congress on Automotive Safety, San Francisco, Calif., 1972 (2 folders)

Membership lists, 1967-1971

Memoranda, 1971-1972, undated (3 folders)

Minutes, 1970-1972

Miscellany, 1970-1973, undated (2 folders)

Partnership in Safety Conferences, 1971

Key Biscayne, Fla.

San Francisco, Calif.

Reports, 1969-1973 (3 folders)

Second International Technical Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, 1971

Tires, 1969-1971

Underwriters' Laboratories, Chicago, Ill.

Board of Trustees, 1969-1976 (5 folders)

Printed matter, 1974-1975

United States Air Force Scientific Advisory Board, 1949-1953

United States Metric Board, 1975-1978

Miscellany, 1934-1984

Commerce Department file and family and personal papers, including correspondence, memoranda, photographs, press releases, appointment calendars, reports, financial records, minutes, and programs.

Arranged alphabetically by subject or type of material.

Commerce Department, acting assistant secretary for science and technology, 1967-1969

Family and personal papers, 1934-1983, undated

Appointment calendars

1951-1959 (2 folders)

1960-1981 (6 folders)

Correspondence, 1947-1983, undated (2 folders)

Gardening

Jackson-Perkins Rose Testing Panel, 1960-1982, undated

Miscellany, 1975-1982, undated

Income tax records, 1934-1964 (2 folders)

Papers pertaining to other family members

Astin, Alexander, 1956-1970, undated (2 folders)

Astin, John, 1935, 1950-1977, undated

Miscellany, 1943-1975, undated

Philatelic interests, 1957-1965, undated

Social activities

Awards ceremonies, banquets, celebrations, 1950-1954 (2 folders)

Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C.

Board of Management

Correspondence, 1962-1966

Financial statements, 1964-1966

Minutes, 1962-1984 (4 folders)

Reports, 1962-1966

Briggs, Lyman James, tribute, 1936-1979, undated (5 folders)

Haddon, William, membership nomination, 1974-1979, undated

Miscellaneous, 1950-1969, undated

Gridiron Club, Washington, D.C., program, 1953

Miscellaneous, 1935, 1951-1953