Science and the Navy: The History of the Office of Naval Research

Harvey M. Sapolsky

Published by Princeton University Press 1990

Science and the Navy

The History of the Office of Naval Research

Harvey M. Sapolsky

Volume 1068 in the series Princeton Legacy Library

https://doi.org/10.1515/9781400860920

Overview
Contents

About this book

Addressing all those interested in the history of American science and concerned with its future, a leading scholar of public policy explains how and why the Office of Naval Research became the first federal agency to support a wide range of scientific work in universities. Harvey Sapolsky shows that the ONR functioned as a "surrogate national science foundation" between 1946 and 1950 and argues that its activities emerged not from any particularly enlightened position but largely from a bureaucratic accident. Once involved with basic research, however, the ONR challenged a Navy skeptical of the value of independent scientific advice and established a national security rationale that gave American science its Golden Age. Eventually, the ONR's autonomy was worn away in bureaucratic struggles, but Sapolsky demonstrates that its experience holds lessons for those who are committed to the effective management of science and interested in the ability of scientists to choose the directions for their research. As military support for basic research fades, scientists are discovering that they are unprotected from the vagaries of distributive politics.

Originally published in 1990.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

Reviews

This is an important story, well told and fully documented through extensive interviews and archival research.... [This book] sharpen[s] our understanding of the origins and evolution of the fragile compact that has linked scientists to the state. In doing so, [it] makes an excellent contribution to our understanding of science policy in the United States.

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Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
List of Figures and Tables Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Preface Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xi
Abbreviations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	xv
CHAPTER ONE. Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
CHAPTER TWO. The Origins of the Office of Naval Research Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	9
CHAPTER THREE. The Office of National Research Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	37
CHAPTER FOUR. The Office of No Return? ONR and the Issue of Relevance Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	57
CHAPTER FIVE. Managing Naval Science Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	82
CHAPTER SIX. Science Advice for the Navy Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	99
CHAPTER SEVEN. Conclusion Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	118
APPENDIX. Budget Data Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	139

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