NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL ESTABLISHED IN 1916 AT THE REQUEST OF THE ACTING AS THE DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND RESEARCH rific THIRD ANNUAL REPORT OF THE NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL. The sudden collapse of the central powers, and the consequent wift transition from war to peace conditions, fortunately did not ke the National Research Council wholly unawares. From. the me of its initiation in 1916, the Council has always recognized that chief service could be 'best performed in times of peace, and the efinition of its functions contained in the Executive Order issued - President Wilson on May 11, 1918, relates particularly to this ssibility. Moreover, throughout the period of the war, when all the divisions of the Council were organizing and promoting rearch to meet military and naval needs and to solve industrial probms of an emergency nature, the question of future activities and e provision of an organization adequate to deal with them were stantly in view. Since the signing of the armistice the chief work the Council has been to utilize the various preliminary studies de during the war period for the formulation of a definitive eme of organization and a plan of work in keeping with the heavy nands which existing conditions entail. Apart from its numerous war activities, outlined in the present ort, and to be treated subsequently in greater detail, the leading ters of interest in the progress of the Council during the past year the Executive Order of President Wilson, the development of the k of the Research Information Service, the organization of the ernational Research Council, the report of the Patent Committee, work of the Industrial Research Section, and the preparation of an of permanent organization. Before dealing with the reports ivisions on war problems, these phases of the Council's activities be described. THE PRESIDENT'S EXECUTIVE ORDER. e congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences ides that "the Academy shall, whenever called upon by any dement of the Government, investigate, examine, experiment, and t upon any subject of science or art." Under this provision the lemy has acted since the time of its establishment as an official er of the Government on a wide variety of questions. During ivil War, as the earlier records of the Academy indicate, its com 1 |