Prelude to War

Science has contributed to military efforts throughout the ages, from advances in astrology that helped fleets navigate the seas to the advent of gunpowder in China. But it wasn’t until the early 20^th century that nations were forced to develop national science programs in order to remain on an equal playing field with potentially hostile nations. Poison gas attacks, aerial bombardment and reconnaissance, armored vehicles, advanced artillery targeting, and radio jamming were all commonplace by the end of the First World War in 1918. These developments in warfare were a harsh wake up call for government and military leaders around the world, convincing them that science is an asset to national security. Despite these obvious lessons, most countries involved in the Second World War did not devote substantial thought or resources to sciences until it became clear that the world would soon be at war again.

America lacked a sufficient national program for scientific research. Vannevar Bush, the science adviser to President Roosevelt, campaigned to establish institutes to develop new weapons and technology and to determine the technological needs of the military. To foster exchange between the scientific community and the military, Roosevelt created the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) in 1940. Almost six months before the US entered the war in Dec. 1941, Roosevelt created the Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), an organization with broader powers to cull the most accomplished scientists for the war effort.

In the United Kingdom, the government also hurried to put scientific resources towards the war effort as the war approached. While the potential of science was well known to military officials in the 1930s, shortage of resources, lack of a centralized organization, and a lack of communication between scientists and the military forced the government to quickly organize a science program