NASA Center

The chances that the Fedral government will find another tenant for NASA's Kendall Square Electronic Research Center appear to be dim.

Lee Dubridge, President Nixon's Science Advisor, Monday night said that "There is a lot of sentiment around here [in Washington] for just letting the center fold and letting the people go out and get jobs."

Dubridge made the comment in the course of a 20 minute telephone conversation with M.I.T. provost Jerome Wiesner, who is one of nine members of Mass. Gov. Francis W. Sargent's Science and Technology Foundation. Sargent named the foundation to aid him in finding new uses for the research center, which is to be closed by June 30. Nixon appointed Dubridge to do the same job in Washington.

The telephone conversation between Wiesner and Dubridge came in the course of the science foundation's first meeting. After the conversation, Wiesner told the group that "the President passed on a very dirty job to him [Dubridge]... it's very clear he is not going to take the initiative."

Despite the discouraging news from Dubridge, several members of the group will meet on Wednesday with Federal officials to discuss the possibilities for the research center's future.