Section 204: a «potential» military relationship
Public Law 91-441 of 7 October 1970 (fiscal year 1971) forbids in section 204 the financing of any research project or study from Department of Defense funds under this or any other Act unless, in the Secretary of Defense's opinion, it has «a potential relationship to a military function or operation». Section 205 says that support of basic science should increase and that a larger share of it should come through the National Science Foundation.
Why it matters
The condition of 1969 was rewritten more softly: «potential» for «direct and apparent», «a military function» for «a specific» one, the Secretary as judge, funds under any Act. For defence laboratories the test moved from «already applicable» to «may become applicable». This is an editorial assessment from comparing two texts; how the formula was applied in practice was not read.
The text: Public Law 91-441, 7 October 1970, 84 Stat. 908, section 204: «None of the funds authorized to be appropriated to the Department of Defense by this or any other Act may be used to finance any research project or study unless such project or study has, in the opinion of the Secretary of Defense, a potential relationship to a military function or operation.» Section 205 (same page): it is the sense of Congress that an increase in Government support of basic scientific research is necessary and that a larger share of it should be provided through the National Science Foundation. A note on numbering: section 203 of the same law (84 Stat. 906-908) is about payments for contractors' independent research and development, not about research projects; the research requirement is in section 204. Section 203(e) repeals section 403 of Public Law 91-121, not section 203. What the record does not claim: that section 204 «repealed» section 203 of the 1969 law (the text read does not say so); that the provision was called by that name in Congress; that any AI programme lost money.