Part: 12         Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536         Page 341342343344345346347348349350351352353354355356357358359360361362363364365366367368369370371372373374375376377378379380381382383384385386387 of 1143

we could write such a justification for such a program. I explained that our role at present was to justify funds which seemed a little more likely to be accepted by the present temper of Congress, such as the amounts proposed by the National Advisory Councils of the Institutes of Health, which were now giving advice on the subject of the money that was needed. But I saw great value in getting a Republican Senator to even suggest a billion-dollar tag on medical research over a term of years--the billion dollars was to be spent over a term of years. This would put what was being done into perspective and make what was being done seem small indeed, which it is, compared with the size of the problems.

Mike undertook to justify a billion-dollar program, over a period of five years, and wrote a justification for such a program, urging an additional 100 million dollars a year over the ‘56 appropriations for the Institutes of Health, 70 million dollars a year for five years for construction of added facilities for medical schools, 30 million a year for additional research construction facilities.

Some time passed and after about a month or six weeks Bloomgarten got in touch with Mike and me and said that Senator Smith liked the idea of this program and would go ahead with it in the next Congress. This was, indeed, a surprise to us, as we thought it was a longshot even to discuss such a matter. I really thought Mike was being extremely amiable to write out a justification for such a program, even though we all agreed