The great achievement of Russian science in launching the first earth satellite has captured the imagination of men everywhere. In this country, the Russian success has had the effect of making us reappraise our national standing both in education and science. This reappraisal over the last three months has resulted in a flood of suggestions from private citizens and public groups for the remedy of our situation. Such an outpouring of American self‐criticism is a healthy thing and seems to me the expression of a democracy which is fundamentally healthy.