Just as President Johnson discovered insidious toxins on learning that the Roman Empire may have poisoned itself with the lead in its water pipes and Premier Callaghan discovered the technology gap from the TV programme The Chips are Down, so President Reagan seems to have discovered low temperature superconductivity in a big way: he is proposing a package of new laws designed to ensure that the US takes the lead in the new technology, including easing of anti-trust laws to promote joint ventures; formation of a group of specialists to advise the administration; encourgement of federal agencies to raid their existing budgets to find money for superconductivity research over the next two years; asking the Pentagon to find military and Commerce civil applications; directing the Patent & Trademark Office to speed processing; and negotiating for US firms to join Japanese government research projects.
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