Wartime Research and Devolpment

Currently, the United States has the strongest research and development system in the world. Before World War II the United States was not as strong as the advanced countries of Europe in research and development. During World War II the United States federal government established funds and created several top secret research programs that were an important impact of the war.

Federal support of research and development grew greatly in size and complexity during World War II. Federal money increased tremendously during the war, and two important institutional innovations were introduced. Large numbers of academic researchers were mobilized to work in their own institutions' laboratories on wartime research and development projects. Also, the federal government agreed to compensate university and industries for the indirect or over-head costs of research and development done under grants and contracts, in addition to paying for direct expenses. To carry out the immediate need of research and development during World War II, major investments were made in research laboratories. New government laboratories and top secret research programs were created to develop superior technology.

America grew increasingly anxious about German scientists building an atomic bomb and other massive destroying weapons. Roosevelt agreed the need to fund a number of projects focusing on different parts of atomic and nuclear physics. In June 1942, the United States initiated The Manhattan Project which was directed by Leslie R. Groves, the Chief of Construction of the US Army Corps of Engineers, which was located in New York City. Meanwhile, at the University of Chicago scientists were expanding the knowledge of atomic theory and on December 2, 1942, the first controlled nuclear reaction occurred. Now that it was known that it was possible to harness nuclear energy, scientists realized the need for fuel to power the nuclear reactors with Uranium and Plutonium being the only suitable substances known at the time. The project scientists experimented in two locations to decide which would be best to use.

By October of 1942, it had become increasingly evident that the immediate need of an additional research site was necessary for specific problems in production of a nuclear weapon. The purpose of this new installation was the development, final processing, assembly, and testing of the atomic bomb. The importance of this part of the Manhattan Project was great enough to justify a separate title; it was named Project Y. In early 1943, J. Robert Oppenheimer, the director of the new nuclear weapons design laboratory chose Los Alamos because it was isolated, access to and from the site could be controlled, and the surrounding canyons could be used to test involving high explosives. On July 16, 1945 a successful implosion bomb was tested. Los Alamos science and technology created the most destructive weapon in war history.

During the war, the Radiation Laboratory was responsible for rapid development of microwave radar. Physical electronics, microwave physics, electromagnetic properties of matter and microwave communication principles were the main projects at the laboratory. The Radiation Laboratory created 100 different radar systems during World War II and constructed $1.5 billion worth of radar.

Technology during World War II played an important role in determining the outcome of the greatest war of all. The massive research and development demands of the war had a great impact on the scientific community.