Scope and Content Note
The papers of Nicholas Erasmus Golovin (1912-1969) span the period 1943-1970, with the bulk of the material dated between 1958 and 1969. The collection primarily documents Golovin's professional and academic activities as an administrator, physicist, and presidential technical adviser in the field of space science and technology. In a general sense, the papers also reveal some of the prevalent attitudes of the Great Society era in which Golovin worked. Many of his projects reflect a strong interest in the advancement of space science and exploration, and the concept of using modern technology to solve social and racial problems. The Golovin Papers have generally been kept in their original order and are divided into five series: Personal File, Chronological File, Speeches and Writings, Office of Science and Technology, and New York University Creative Science Program.
The Personal File (1943-1970) contains a wide variety of materials. Included is correspondence between Golovin and friends, colleagues, and business associates, primarily relating to employment opportunities, the direction of their professional careers, and other work-related topics.Very little of this correspondence concerns Golovin's personal family life. The series also contains military, academic, and employment records, biographical materials, magazine articles of interest or relating to Golovin, certificates of award, notes and newspaper clippings regarding books in which Golovin held an interest, and several photographs. A few pieces of correspondence between his widow, Anne Golovin, and one of Golovin's business associates, written after Golovin's death in 1970, are included in this file.
The Chronological File (1949-1969) contains correspondence, memoranda, reports, meeting summaries, working diaries, and notes documenting Golovin's daily professional activities at the National Bureau of Standards, White Sands Missile Range, Advanced Research Projects Agency, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), and the Office of Science and Technology. Records from the National Bureau of Standards primarily concern routine, administrative matters, while later records created during Golovin's tenure at NASA and the Office of Science and Technology contain substantial information on space science and technology projects. Of particular interest are records dating from 1960 to 1961 documenting his work with the Large Launch Vehicle Planning Group, a program sponsored by NASA and the Department of Defense that developed launch vehicles appropriate for lunar and planetary exploration.
Materials documenting his daily activities in the Office of Science and Technology as technical adviser for aviation and space science are also of special significance. Included are memoranda and reports prepared by Golovin and sent to the White House regarding such topics as the supersonic transport noise problem, space propulsion systems, and the development of manned space flight. The Chronological File also includes invitations and itineraries relating to Golovin's public and professional activities in various scientific organizations and correspondence regarding his numerous technical writing projects. Prominent correspondents include Edward Uhler Condon, Donald F. Hornig, Charles S. Murphy, Jerome B. Wiesner, and other professionals.
The Speeches and Writings series (1957-1969) is comprised mostly of notes, drafts, and final copies and printed versions of addresses, remarks, lectures, articles, book reviews, and papers by Golovin. Speeches and writings are primarily concerned with space science and technology. Of significance are materials relating to Golovin's well-known paper entitled "A Fourth Branch of Government." Written with financial support from the Ford Foundation, Golovin's paper proposed the creation of an additional branch of government designed to function independently from the original three branches. This fourth branch would employ physicists and social scientists to make sound technological choices in public policy. Included are the proposal's original research notes and later typewritten transcriptions completed under the direction of Golovin's wife after his death.
The Office of Science and Technology series (1962-1969) primarily consists of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and notes pertaining to Golovin's most significant projects and programs at the Office of Science and Technology. The file includes documentation of his participation in several International Astronautical Congresses and his role in improving the planning, programming, and budgeting system in the Office of Science and Technology. Most notable in the series are agendas, meeting summaries, press releases, and reports documenting Golovin's work as a member of the Presidential Science Advisory Committee. The committee, composed of government officials and individuals in the science and technology profession, developed recommendations for Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson on such matters as space science vehicles and the Apollo space program.
The final series in the collection is the New York University Creative Science Program file (1958-1969), containing correspondence, memoranda, agendas, papers, bibliographies, and manuscript drafts relating to Golovin's associate membership in Myron Coler's creative science program. This program was primarily concerned with the investigation of creativity patterns in the sciences and the cultivation of creativity as one of the most important educational needs and responsibilities. Records in this series document the research group's seminar sessions and scholarly activities. Also included are chapter drafts and a published copy of Essays on Creativity in the Sciences, a book written by program associates based on seminar findings.