The U. S. Army Materials Research Agency has conducted the Saga more Army Materials Research Conferences, in cooperation with the Metallurgical Research Laboratories of the Department of Chemical En gineering and Metallurgy of Syracuse University, since 1954. The pur pose of the conferences has been to gather together scientists and engi neers from academic institutions, industry, and government who are uniquely qualified to explore in depth a subject of importance to the Army and the Department of Defenseo The subject of the Thirteenth Sagamore Army Materials Research Con ference, "Surfaces and Interfaces I: Chemical and Physical Characteris tics," was chosen from a substantial number of possible topics because scientists in the Army responsible for materials research, the conference committee, and the participants believed that much good would result from a detailed analysis of: the knowledge and role of surfaces, including their fundamental characteristics; the role of adsorption and adhesion; and the kinetics, both of exterior surfaces and interfaces. This informa tion should aid immeasurably in leading the way to vastly improved mate rials, vitally essential if progress is to be made in structures having improved performance. The wisdom of selecting a topic concerned with surfaces and inter faces is substantiated by the papers presented in this publication.