Conant Refuses Leadership Of War Development Board

President Conant was offered and has rejected the chairmanship of the Research and Development Board of the Defense Department, it was learned this week. White House press secretary Charles G. Ross and Conant's office both declined to comment on the report.

The Research and Development Board supervises the investigation of new war techniques and weapons for the government. The post was held until early November by former MIT President Karl T. Compton who retired because of ill health. Compton left MIT a year ago to take the post.

The position was offered had decided last spring after Compton had decided to resign. Conant was one of the leaders in the United States development of atomic energy and served from 1941 to 1946 as chairman of the National Defense Research Committee.