Interest in climate, particularly its possible long-term change, was spurred in the ‘60s and early ‘70s by two ideas of climate change suggesting opposite long-term effects. On the one hand there was a growing concern that man might be influencing the earth's climate and the likely effect would be a warming. On the other hand, the global temperature record from the ‘40s through the ‘60s suggested a gradual cooling, and a ‘72 conference of European and American investigators drew attention to this as their main conclusion by means of a letter of concern to the White House. Subsequent actions and interest at the Federal level led to the National Climate Program Act in 1976, and the formation of the Climate Analysis Center in 1979. To mark CPC's 25th anniversary, this work recounts some of the events leading to the passage of the NCP, and traces the development and evolution of climate services at the CPC, with special emphasis on the climate forecast process .