The need to ensure that the United States would become more economically competitive and would effectively translate scientific leadership into technological innovations is addressed in this report of a 3-day series of hearings on strategies for exploiting American inventiveness in the world marketplace. Testimonies are offered from representatives of the: (1) National Society of Professional Engineers; (2) National Academy of Engineering; (3) Department of Defense; (4) Harvard Graduate Business School; (5) AFL-CIO; and (6) executives from several corporations. Data and the text from the report "United States Trade Balance at a Turning Point: Can We Eliminate the Trade Deficit by 1990?" is included in the appendices. (ML)