The Earth beneath the continents / Земля под континентами

Scientists, in general, tend to be reticent in calling attention to their contributions to science. Satisfaction comes from the solution of a problem rather than from any public acclaim they may receive. Once a paper is presented, there is generally reluctance to present it again. The true scientist is never satisfied with past results, and is constantly attacking new problems. He is an entrepreneur in the finest sense of the word, and at the same time a religious zealot in his dedication to his work, and a visionary in his concentration on the unknown. It is, therefore, not surprising that scientists and churchmen have many characteristics in common; that churchmen through the ages have made significant contributions to the advance of science; and that scientists and churchmen, individually, are 'warm' human beings more concerned with their work and others than with themselves.

The above definition of a scientist is not in the dictionary, but it fits the finding of psychologists with an interest in vocational aptitudes, and it certainly describes Merle Anthony Tuve, the man to whom this volume is dedicated. Anyone who knows Merle Tuve recognizes that he is a driver, who has never spared himself; a crusader, who has espoused the cause of science to the government and the people of this country; a patriot, who never questioned the wisdom of devoting some of his most productive years to classified military research; a leader, who had much to do with the success of the International Geophysical Year as well as with the outstanding reputation enjoyed by the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington; a public servant, who has devoted much of his time to the service of his fellow scientists through service on various boards and committees of the National Academy of Sciences and other groups; a diplomat, who has done much to foster both understanding and working relations between American and foreign scientists; and, finally, a warm-hearted individual, who has always been willing to help others. In the sense that science is the systematic study of the cosmos in which we find ourselves, Merle Tuve is the complete scientist. He has made fundamental contributions to the understanding of binding nuclear forces of the atom and to the energy distribution of the distant radio sources in space. His pulse studies of ionospheric reflections were an important step in the development of radar, and he was a pioneer in the use of explosions to study deep structure of the earth. His wartime work on the proximity fuze was most timely for our nation's needs. In all these efforts he has been joined by colleagues working closely with him, and he has maintained warm connections and good communication with interested colleagues the world over. <...>