Secret Science: Federal Control of American Science and Technology

This discussion of what is perhaps the government's most intransigent First Amendment dilemma--whether science is protected as free speech--seems weak and unfocused compared to the consequences of the problem. Skirting the larger legal issue, Foerstel ( Surveillance in the Stacks ) dissects a few test cases, such as those challenging the International Traffic in Arms Regulations, to give a very rough sketch of the constitutional conflict between national security and the nature of science. An examination of industrial espionage and the government's role in protecting ``proprietary information'' cites recent business and government transactions with foreign businesses and goverments. Ultimately, lack of structure and the short focal length of Foerstel's view severely limit the reader's grasp of this complicated topic. (Apr.)