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THE CUTTING EDGE: SCIENCE AND
TECHNOLOGY FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE

MONDAY, JUNE 27, 1988

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY,
SUBCOMMITTEE ON INVESTIGATIONS AND OVERSIGHT,

Bethlehem, PA.

The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 11:30 a.m., at Martin Tower Auditorium, Bethlehem Steel Co., Bethlehem, PA, Hon. Robert A. Roe [chairman of the subcommittee] presiding.

Mr. ROE. The hearing will come to order. We are happy to have you all with us. And, at the outset, I would like to pay my high regard to Dr. Jolley, representing the Bethlehem Steel Company who has been hosting us here today. I want to talk about that a little later on. I certainly want to comment on my high regard for Congressman Don Ritter, who is the representative from this district, as you know. And he is one of our really leading scientists in the Congress and has done an outstanding job-is doing an outstanding job in the future of our country and competitiveness and high technology, all the areas that are important in the future of the United States and where our country is going from here. Having said that, let me get a little formal here.

It is the good fortune of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology that we are among the first to learn of new and exciting scientific breakthroughs. We are allowed to share in the thrill of scientific discovery, and also have the responsibility for deciding how to allocate the Nation's research funds to make these breakthroughs possible. Today we hope you will come to share that excitement with us and be able to participate particularly with the witnesses with some of your ideas and views, in the direction we should go in prioritizing the Science, Space, and Technology Committee, of our country.

We come to the Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania because here is where science becomes the technology that will improve all our lives. America depends on its universities for the advancements of knowledge that keep this Nation preeminent in world science. We depend on forward-thinking companies like those testifying before us today to use that fundamental knowledge in the high-quality goods and services customers want to buy.

Today, we begin with a discussion of a subject many of you may identify with personally. It is no secret that the American industries which made our way of life the envy of the world are suffering through some rough seas today, and therefore, so are the

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people of our country. This area knows better than most how it feels when customers do not want to buy what you are selling any more. But we are going to recover from that syndrome. We are learning those lessons that we ignored 30 years ago-give American workers the best tools, overcome barriers to communication between labor and management, and really listen to what the customer wants-and success will follow.

There is no miracle involved in the Japanese economic success. Any nation with high-skilled workers can do exactly the same things with the same results-as Tokyo is now beginning to learn. My counterpart in the Japanese Parliament has to think about Korea's-what is that-you know I did not even know what a Hyundai is, but I think it is a little car, is it not? I know, I just wanted to see if you were awake or not. No, seriously I think that the Japanese people are beginning to learn now as they turn away from our constant confrontation with them in competitors—now, of course, their major competitor would be Korea.

Those of you who have been to the store to buy a record album lately know about compact discs. If you have seen commercials for the U.S. Sprint Co., you might remember their fiber-optic telephone network. This is the leading edge of photonics, our second topic today. Telephones and computers use electricity to carry information from place to place. With photonics, light will do that job, as you know. One day, your children might ask to use the encyclopedia, and you will hand them a compact disc. Not only will they be able to read about photonics, but they could watch movies showing scientists working with lasers.

Let me suggest this, I want to be able to leave as much time as we can for those of you that have journeyed to join us here in Pennsylvania, and also I want to have the time to be able to exchange ideas-particularly with the witnesses that are testifying. I am going to cut my statement short and thank you for joining us today and have the chance to introduce our ranking member on our Science, Space, and Technology Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee. Don, as you know, has done a wonderful job, and I am pleased that I am able to join with him today, Don Ritter. [The prepared statement of Mr. Roe follows:]

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IT IS THE GOOD FORTUNE OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE AND

TECHNOLOGY THAT WE ARE AMONG THE FIRST TO LEARN OF NEW AND EXCITING

SCIENTIFIC BREAKTHROUGHS.

WE ARE ALLOWED TO SHARE IN THE THRILL OF

SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY. WE ALSO HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR DECIDING HOW TO ALLOCATE THE NATION'S RESEARCH FUNDS TO MAKE THESE

BREAKTHROUGHS POSSIBLE. TODAY WE HOPE YOU WILL COME TO SHARE THAT

EXCITEMENT.

WE HAVE COME TO THE LEHIGH VALLEY OF PENNSYLVANIA BECAUSE HERE IS WHERE SCIENCE BECOMES THE TECHNOLOGY THAT WILL IMPROVE ALL OUR LIVES. AMERICA DEPENDS ON ITS UNIVERSITIES FOR THE ADVANCEMENTS OF KNOWLEDGE THAT KEEP THIS NATION PREEMINENT IN WORLD SCIENCE. WE DEPEND ON FORWARD-THINKING COMPANIES LIKE THOSE TESTIFYING BEFORE US TODAY TO USE THAT FUNDAMENTAL KNOWLEDGE IN THE HIGH-QUALITY GOODS AND SERVICES

CUSTOMERS WANT TO BUY.

TODAY, WE BEGIN WITH A DISCUSSION OF A SUBJECT MANY OF YOU MAY

IDENTIFY WITH PERSONALLY.

IT IS NO SECRET THAT THE AMERICAN

INDUSTRIES WHICH MADE OUR WAY OF LIFE THE ENVY OF THE WORLD ARE SUFFERING SOME ROUGH SEAS TODAY. THIS AREA KNOWS BETTER THAN MOST HOW IT FEELS WHEN CUSTOMERS DON'T WANT TO BUY WHAT YOU'RE SELLING ANY

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MORE. BUT WE ARE GOING TO RECOVER. WE ARE LEARNING THE LESSONS THAT WE IGNORED THIRTY YEARS AGO GIVE AMERICAN WORKERS THE BEST TOOLS, OVERCOME BARRIERS TO COMMUNICATION BETWEEN LABOR AND MANAGEMENT,

REALLY LISTEN TO WHAT THE CUSTOMER WANTS

AND

AND SUCCESS WILL FOLLOW.

THERE IS NO MIRACLE INVOLVED IN JAPANESE ECONOMIC SUCCESS. ANY NATION WITH HIGHLY-SKILLED WORKERS CAN DO EXACTLY THE SAME THINGS WITH THE SAME RESULTS

AS TOKYO IS NOW LEARNING. MY COUNTERPART IN THE

JAPANESE PARLIAMENT HAS TO THINK ABOUT KOREA'S HYUNDAI AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR JAPANESE AUTOMAKERS AND STEELWORKERS.

THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE BEEN TO THE STORE TO BUY A RECORD ALBUM LATELY
KNOW ABOUT COMPACT DISCS. IF YOU'VE SEEN COMMERCIALS FOR THE U.S.
SPRINT COMPANY, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER THEIR FIBER-OPTIC TELEPHONE
NETWORK. THIS IS THE LEADING EDGE OF PHOTONICS, OUR SECOND TOPIC.
TELEPHONES AND COMPUTERS USE ELECTRICITY TO CARRY INFORMATION FROM
PLACE TO PLACE. WITH PHOTONICS, LIGHT WILL DO THAT JOB.
ONE DAY,
YOUR CHILDREN MIGHT ASK TO USE THE ENCYCLOPEDIA AND YOU'LL HAND THEM A
COMPACT DISC. NOT ONLY WILL THEY BE ABLE TO READ ABOUT PHOTONICS, BUT
THEY COULD WATCH MOVIES SHOWING SCIENTISTS WORKING WITH LASERS.

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