In 1952 President Harry S. Truman's Materials Policy Commission, headed by William Paley of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), released its final report. The commission had been asked to examine the status of the nation's material resources, such as fuels, metals, and minerals. It concluded that the country's material base was in quite good condition, but the report maintained that further research was necessary to insure the continued use of these resources. Paley established Resources for the Future (RFF) as a nonprofit corporation to carry out this research, especially the updating of resource statistics.

At the same time, the Ford Foundation had created a fund to support resource conservation issues and to organize a national conference on the issue. Paley allowed this fund to use the name and facilities of his new corporation, and RFF hosted the Mid-Century Conference on Resources for the...