It is now widely recognized that in view of the excellent science and engineering capabilities that exist in many countries in all parts of the world, it is increasingly important for U.S. scientists and engineers to remain in close touch with the activities and plans of their foreign colleagues, in part as a means for planning joint research programs with them. Additionally, gaining an understanding of many important scientific problems, such as those associated with the global environment, requires cooperative scientific efforts on a multinational basis. U.S. scientists and engineers have a number of available mechanisms to maintain close communication with scientists and engineers in other countries. Among the oldest and most extensive of these mechanisms are the non-governmental international disciplinary unions (the first was established in 1919) which today comprise the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in which more than 70 countries are represented. National members of these unions, as well as ICSU-proper, are private scientific bodies whose activities are normally determined by committees of working scientists. In the United States, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is the official adhering body to ICSU and its unions, and NAS disciplinary and non-disciplinary staff officers manage U.S. participation on behalf of the U.S. National Committees for ICSU and those unions.
