This assignment focuses on Vannevar Bush's Science The Endless Frontier. This document was drafted by Bush, the Director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, and sent to President Roosevelt in July 1945. It embodies many of the themes and issues that have shaped the organization, sponsorship, and significance of science in the Post-war period. You should also recognize that this is a primary document created during a period of heightened sensitivity over national security and the destructive potential of science and technology. Historians interpret primary documents to construct histories of this period, and you should reflect on the context in which this document was created.
While your assignment is to read selected elements of this document, the full text version of Bush's report is available here. After you have read the sections selected for this assignment you will be asked two questions. You may wish to print out the documents presented in this assignment. You may also wish to log-off and return to this assignment after you have thought about what you have read and heard in lectures.
