M. I. T. Lab Head Draper Retires Following Shift in Research Policy

Dr. Charles Stark Draper, the director of the Instrumentation Laboratory at M. I. T., has retired in the wake of a new M. I. T, policy on war research.

Founder of the so-called "I-Lab," Draper challenged the recent M. I. T. Corporation decision to refuse weapons contracts and emphasize civilian research related to urban problems. Draper said he feels defense research has a vital role and should not be supplanted.

"I have no objection to starting a laboratory for urban problems," Draper explained. "But why tear down what we've already built up?" He suggested that the lack of funding for civilian projects would force some investigators to leave M. I. T. for more lucrative prospects.

The Corporation's statement said that though no new contracts for weapons or weapons development would be accepted, the Institute would not necessarily alter its role "in advancing the state of technology in areas that have defense applications."

M. I. T. Leads Nation

Currently, M. I. T. leads the nation's universities in Defense Department research. The Instrumentation Laboratory alone receives about $27 million. (half its yearly budget) from the Pentagon, and has recently been criticized for its contribution to the Navy's Polaris and Poscidon missile guidance units.

Draper's successor, effective January 1, will be Charles L. Miller, the 40-year-old chairman of M. I. T.'s department of Civil Engineering, who has pioneered the application of computer methodology to urban systems.