Allen Varley Astin Papers
Catalog Record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm87062002
General International Standard for Archival Description
Manuscript Division Library of Congress Washington, D.C.
Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2001
Encoded Archival Description
Encoded Archival Description (EAD) Version 2002
collection
Allen Varley Astin Papers1939-1973 (bulk 1950-1970)
Astin, Allen Varley, 1904-1984
Biographical History for: Allen Varley Astin Papers1939-1973 (bulk 1950-1970)
Biographical Note Date Event 1904, June 12 Born, Salt Lake City, Utah 1925 B.S. in physics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 1926 M.S. in physics, New York University, New York, N.Y. Chemical analyst, American Smelting and Refining Co. , Salt Lake City, Utah 1927 Married Margaret Linnie Mackenzie 1928 Ph.D. in physics, New York University, New York, N.Y. 1928-1930 National Research Council Fellow, National Bureau of Standards Research Fellow, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. 1930-1932 Research associate, Utilities Research Commission, National Bureau of Standards 1932 Associate scientist, Electricity Division, National Bureau of Standards 1936 Physicist, Electricity Division, National Bureau of Standards 1940 Senior physicist, National Bureau of Standards 1943 Chief, Optical Fuse Section, Ordnance Development Division, National Bureau of Standards 1944 Assistant Chief, Ordnance Development Division, National Bureau of Standards 1944-1945 United States representative on proximity fuses in London, England, Office of Scientific Research and Development, Defense Department 1948 Chief, Ordnance Development Division, National Bureau of Standards 1950 Associate Director, National Bureau of Standards 1951 Acting Director, National Bureau of Standards 1952-1969 Director, National Bureau of Standards 1984, Jan. 28 Died, Bethesda, Md.
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."
series
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.
file
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
"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
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
USSR, 1956-1966, undated
Memoranda
Commerce Department, 1953-1968, undated
Interoffice, 1950-1969, undated
Mission statement and goals, 1963-1965, undated
Oddities, 1955-1964, undated
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
Miscellaneous, 1961-1969
Reports, 1947-1969, undated
Retirement, 1969, undated
Boulder, Colo., activities
Correspondence
Gaithersburg, Md., activities
Printed matter
Science policy, 1951-1967, undated
Semicentennial, 1951
Studies
Research support to universities, 1960-1967
Scientific institutions, 1968-1969
Scientific personnel
General, 1953-1968, undated
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
1955-1970, undated
Personnel records (Astin), 1935-1960
Publications
About Astin, clippings and offprints, 1949-1968
By Astin
Copies and offprints, 1931-1969, undated
Drafts and related material
1948-1952, miscellaneous
"The IEC and the National Bureau of Standards," Magazine of Standards
"Physical Standards and Industrial Progress," for proposed book
1958, "Standardization of the Inch"
"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
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
"Measures of Assurance: A History of the National Bureau of Standards, 1951-1976," typescript for comment, 1972-1976
By National Bureau of Standards staff
Printed matter, 1921-1975
Typescripts, 1938-1976
Miscellaneous, circa 1930-1968, undated
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
Speeches, lectures, and conference records
Nov. 1950-Nov. 1951
Apr.-Nov.
Dec.
Miscellaneous
Jan.-Nov.
1954, Feb.-Nov.
1955, Jan.-Nov.
Feb.-June
Sept.-Dec.
1957, Jan.-Dec.
Jan.-May
June-Dec.
1959, Jan.-Oct.
1960, Apr.-Nov. 1962
1963, Feb.-Nov. 1965
1966, Jan.-Dec.
1967, Feb.-Sept. 1969
1970, Dec.-Sept. 1971
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.
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Committee on Scientific Freedom and Responsibility, notes and background material, undated
Correspondence, 1970-1974
Memoranda, 1970-1973
Minutes, 1971-1973
Guidelines and codes of ethics for professional employment, 1960-1973, undated
Miscellaneous, 1969-1974, undated
Reports, 1967-1974
American National Standards Institute
Correspondence, 1969-1970
Long-range Planning Committee
Agenda and minutes, 1969-1970
Correspondence, memoranda, and miscellany, 1965-1971, undated
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
Defense Science Board, 1960-1964
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
Miscellaneous, 1966-1970
Reports, 1954-1971
Symposia, 1963-1968
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
Harry Diamond Laboratories, Scientific Advisory Committee, 1955-1967
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Correspondence, 1956-1983
Field Awards Committee, 1973-1974
Reports, 1971-1983
Speeches and statements, 1976-1979
International Atomic Energy Agency
Draft report, 1971-1972
Miscellany, 1970-1983
Panel to reexamine the relationship of the United States to, 1962-1972
Study group meetings
21 June-7 July 1971
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
Minutes, 1969-1973
Miscellany, 1969-1980, undated
Printed matter, 1972-1979, undated
Reports, 1970-1983
Technology assessment, 1970-1973
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
Bylaws Committee
General, 1965-1974, undated
Proposed amendments, 1971-1973, undated
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
Elections
Ballot reports, 1973-1975, undated
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
National Bureau of Standards advisory panels, 1964
Office of the Home Secretary, memoranda and notices, 1970-1975, undated
Science and public policy, 1970-1975
Shockley, William
Ad Hoc Committee on Genetic Factors in Human Performance, 1969-1971
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.
Science Service, Inc., Washington, D.C.
Board of Trustees, 1966-1972
Science News Advisory Committee, 1967-1972
State Department, Bureau of International Scientific and Technological Affairs
United States-France Cooperative Program
Consultant, 1976-1977
Coordinator
General
Trips, 1970-1976
Facilities inventory reports, 1971
Printed matter, 1964-1974
United States-Japan Committee on Scientific Cooperation
Liaison
Member, 1972-1976
Transportation Department, National Motor Vehicle Safety Advisory Council
Committees
Crash survivability, 1970-1971
General, 1970-1972
Research, 1968-1972
Correspondence, 1969-1972
First International Congress on Automotive Safety, San Francisco, Calif., 1972
Membership lists, 1967-1971
Memoranda, 1971-1972, undated
Minutes, 1970-1972
Miscellany, 1970-1973, undated
Partnership in Safety Conferences, 1971
Key Biscayne, Fla.
San Francisco, Calif.
Reports, 1969-1973
Second International Technical Conference, Stuttgart, Germany, 1971
Tires, 1969-1971
Underwriters' Laboratories, Chicago, Ill.
Board of Trustees, 1969-1976
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.
Commerce Department, acting assistant secretary for science and technology, 1967-1969
Family and personal papers, 1934-1983, undated
Appointment calendars
Correspondence, 1947-1983, undated
Gardening
Jackson-Perkins Rose Testing Panel, 1960-1982, undated
Miscellany, 1975-1982, undated
Income tax records, 1934-1964
Papers pertaining to other family members
Astin, Alexander, 1956-1970, undated
Astin, John, 1935, 1950-1977, undated
Miscellany, 1943-1975, undated
Philatelic interests, 1957-1965, undated
Social activities
Awards ceremonies, banquets, celebrations, 1950-1954
Cosmos Club, Washington, D.C.
Board of Management
Correspondence, 1962-1966
Financial statements, 1964-1966
Minutes, 1962-1984
Reports, 1962-1966
Briggs, Lyman James, tribute, 1936-1979, undated
Haddon, William, membership nomination, 1974-1979, undated
Miscellaneous, 1950-1969, undated
Gridiron Club, Washington, D.C., program, 1953
Miscellaneous, 1935, 1951-1953