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O N E " B a s t i o n s o f O u r D e f e n s e " : C o l d W a r U n i v e r s i t y A d m i n i s t r a t o r s Military-sponsored universit y researc h i n the Unite d State s dramat ically increase d durin g Worl d Wa r I I a s th e federa l governmen t attempted t o achiev e technologica l superiorit y ove r th e Axi s Pow ers . The adven t an d intensificatio n o f the Col d War , and th e Unite d States' commitmen t t o contain Communism , especiall y i n the Thir d World, firmly joine d togethe r the university an d th e military. B y th e mid-1950s th e Pentagon supplie d $30 0 million annuall y fo r univer sity defense researc h an d th e Massachusetts Institut e o f Technolog y (MIT) and John s Hopkin s wer e place d o n th e lis t of the nation's to p one hundre d militar y contractors . Thirty-tw o percen t an d 1 1 per cent o f federa l researc h fund s t o universitie s i n 196 1 came , respec tively , from th e Department of Defense (DoD ) and the Atomic Energ y Commission (AEC) . Th e leadin g universit y militar y contractor s i n 1969 wer e MIT , th e Universit y o f Californi a system , Illinois , an d Michigan, eac h receiving , respectively , $9 7 million , $1 5 million , $11.6 million , an d $11. 4 millio n i n defens e grants . Th e Pentago n underwrote 8 0 percen t o f MIT' s budge t i n 196 9 whil e Michiga n i n 1967 held 6 4 separate contracts with the DoD totaling $11.8 million . Michigan i n th e 1960 s als o ha d mor e Nationa l Aeronautic s an d Space Administratio n (NASA ) contract s tha n an y othe r universit y in America. 1 Universities i n 196 8 spen t $ 3 billio n annuall y fo r researc h an d development. Sevent y percen t o f thi s mone y cam e fro m th e federa l government, o f whic h ove r hal f originate d fro m defense-relate d agencies. On e o f ever y thre e dollar s spen t o n universit y researc h 13 14 "Bastions of Our Defense" and developmen t ha d eithe r a military origi n or purpose. Th e AEC, DoD, and NASA, respectively, i n 196 8 gave universities $110,200,000 , $243,100,000 an d $129,500,00 0 fo r military-relate d research . Ove r 30 percen t o f al l academi c researc h fund s i n th e physica l science s in 197 1 cam e fro m th e DoD while th e Do D and NAS A provide d 6 5 percent o f all research support i n academic engineerin g i n the earl y 1960s.2 The significance o f military contracting to the universities ca n be shown by calculating defense-related grant s from the AEC, DoD, and NASA a s a proportion o f overal l federa l governmen t obligation s t o institutions o f higher education. (Se e Table 1.1.) In 1966, 43 percen t and 3 5 percen t o f th e federal grant s given t o Michigan an d Illinois , respectively, wer e fro m defense-relate d agencies . Conversely , 2 5 percent an d 2 1 percen t o f the federal grant s given to the Universit y of Pennsylvani a an d Yale , respectively , wer e fro m defense-relate d agencies. In terms of defense-related fund s as a proportion of overall federal financial obligation s t o highe r education , th e mos t promi nent public universities, by the 1960s, often relied just as heavily o n such grants as the private universities. Th e public universities wer e sometimes mor e dependen t o n defens e contract s tha...

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