Science for the People Magazine Vol. 20, No. 1
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Vol. 20 No. 1 $2.50 Science and the Military_ I ( ~t r THE MILITARIZATION OF RESEARCH Editor After nineteen years. we tend to take the long view. Science for l.estie Fraser the People has been a vehicle for antiwar analysis and activity since PUblisher its inception. Conceived in the struggle against U.S. involvement in Gary" Keenan the Vietnam War by an organization then called SESPA-Scientists Destgnet and Engineers for Social and Political Action-SftP continues to OavidGemm: challenge military applications of science and technology. Illustrator During the years of U.S. involvement in the war in Southeast John KlOsSner Asia, we protested Pentagon-funded research on campuses and the Art&Photos Catherine Berney, Department of Defense use of napalm, Agent Orange. and other chemical warfare agents John Klossner, MINTO against the Indochinese. SftP also helped organize chapters of Ciilf"Ol Ryan, Glenn Wolff Science for Vietnam. We collected books, journals. and lab materials Edltorfal Committee Tracey cohen, Leslie Fraser, Jeff Levy for Vietnamese libraries and schools, and worked with Vietnamese Ga!y Marchant. Gino Palmeri. Stephanie l"ollack scientists on research such as the carcinogenic properties of Joseph Regna, Seth ShUlman. Ellen Weinstock defoliants. Planning " J5Xtr.l Help In 1985, as a response to the U.S.-funded contra war in Cehtral Jon Beckwith, RICh cowan Mat4!rlaJ Requests America. we organized Science for Nicaragua. SftP has been JlmBartDn sending technical materials as well as North American teachers to Distribution the science departments of Nicaraguan universities for the past two RiChard Aichelmann years. OUtreach Coordinator So publishing a special issue on the impact of military funding on .JonBeckwilh research and science education is an appropriate way to begin our Fundralslng COordinator twentieth year. For this issue, we contacted old and new GenyWaneck acquaintances of SftP. Physicist Charles Schwartz was a founding Editorial Advisory Board Joseph Alper, Rita Arditti, .Jon BeckWith, member of SESPA in Berkeley. He teamed up with graduate student Philip L Bereano. Edith Brickman. Paul Selvin to write an oveNiew of the Pentagon's presence in Stepl"len 01orover. Fran Conrad. Eric Entemam, Roslyn Feldberg, Ross Feldberg, academia today. Robert Krinsky. a more recent friend of SftP, Marilyn Frankenstein, Douglas fi.!Wama, provided a historical and categorical look at trends in military Ted GoldfarD, Rae GoodeN. Stepl1en Jay Gould, David Himmelstein, funding of research science and education since World War II. Eric Holtzman. Ruth HUbbard, David Kahn, Charles Koplik, Richard l.eiAns. ~ Lewontirl, Greg LeRoy investigated the new research centers that have Karen llllessing, Frank Mirer, David Noble, proliferated in the Reagan era-consortiums of university, industry, Richard· Novick. CQmie PtliRips, Alvin F. Poossaint. Stepl"len Risch, RIChard Rosen. military and federal intelligence agency cooperation. Jonathan King Virginia SChaefer, Scott SChneider, Miriam Struck. sue Tafler, l\llichael Tanzer, SCott ThaCher, and Steve Nadis explored two areas of military research-biological John vandermeer, Geny Waneck, warfare and the Strategic Defense Initiative-and the broader Joseph weJzenbaurn, Sandy Wiper, Steffie WOofhandler military influence over scientific fields involVed in that research. Gary sUasCRIPilONS: u.s. one year/six issues: SIS. Foreign Marchant inteNiewed several scientists whose work has been rate:' $21. u.S. dbraries/institulians: $24. Foreign librarieS S30. Member subscriptiOns (Includes the magazine. our funded by the military to report on infringements of academic newsletter and other c01111'11Uf1lcatians): $30. Foreign subsaibe~ mqst remit in U.S. currency, wilt! either an freedom. political censorship, professional punishment, and lrrtemat:tonai Money Order or a check drawn 011 a u.s. constraints on the public release of even basic research results. bank: SCIENCE FOR THE I'EOPI.E is available 10 ~ 011 There are also reports from scientists whose laboratories. research, consignment 'fiom the publiSher or through Carrier Pigeon or university departments have been supported by Pentagon funds. Dimibul!:lrS. Box 2783, Boston, MA 02200. The magazine is available in microform 11om l..lnM!rsi\V MiCrOfilmS. 300 The experiences of these women and men-some of which are N. Zet:b Rd.. Ann 1\tbor, Ml 48106. Sdel1ce for !tie fl!ople is indexed in An:ernatille Pless lndex. Box 7229, Baltim:>re. documented in the section titled Working Around the Military W2J218. cover a spectrum of political and professional differences. Through SCIENCE FOR THE PEOPU! IISSN 0048--9662) is publiShed bimontllly l:ly the Sdel1ce Resoun;e Cenrer, Inc., their involvement with Pentagon contracts and research. each has a nonprofit corporation at 897 Main St., Cambridge. MA 02139, telephOne 617/547.0370. Edited and prodt1a!d l:ly developed an analysis and rationale for accepting or rejecting the national orgat11zat1011 of Sdel1ce tor 1t1e People. we offer a progressi>e view of science and technology. military funding of their work. The accounts of their personal tlttides, letterS, revieWS, l'1eWSI'101<5. phOIDS. and art 'Mllf< a~e welcome. Please send oouble-spaced. l;YPed journeys illustrate the power of professional and economic manuscripts. 011 Wordstar IBM<orrpatible disks if possible. U1le5S olf1e!Wise noted. afl material COj:¥ight dependence on military support to infiuence an individual's own J988 l:ly Sdel1ce lOr the People. scientific work-and more broadly, the direction of science itself. January/February 1988 Volume 20, Number I CONTENTS 2 SWORDS INTO SHEEPSKINS by Robert Krinsky The militarization of higher education since World War II 6 PUBLISH & PERISH by Paul Selvin and Charles Schwartz The integration of university science with the Pentagon 11 WARU by Greg LeRoy 0 High-tech battlegrounds on campus BIOLOGY GOES TO WAR by Jonathan King Marching toward a biological arms race AFTER THE BOYCOTT by Steve Nadis How scientists are stopping SO/ POLITICAL CONSTRAINTS by Gary Marchant Military funding and academic freedom WORKING AROUND THE MILITARY Scientist testimonials BUYER BEWARE SCIENCE by Richard Ruquist MILITARY FUNDING OF PUBLIC RESEARCH by Sheila Rise and Yewell C. Howe SCAPEGOATING THE SCIENTIST by Hugh DeWitt COMMITTING SCIENCE TO PEACE by Vera Kistiakowsky 43 ECONOMIC CONVERSION by Jonathan Feldman An altemative to academic dependency on the military A SPECIAL THANKS TO MARK OSTOW AND XANADU GRAPHICS FOR THEIR GENEROUS SUPPORT. BY ROBERT KRINSKY he emergence of sustained close relations between the military and acadtrnia occurred concomitantly with the rise of the United States as Tthe dominant economic, political, and military power in the aftermath of World War II. In 1946, General Dwight Eisenhower, Army Chief of Staff, sent a memorandum to senior officials of the War Department on the subject of "Scientific and Technical Resources as Military Assets," in which he stated: "The lessons of the last war are clear. The military efforts required for victory threw upon the Army an unprecedented range of responsibilities, many of which were effectively discharged only through the invaluable assistance supplied by our cumulative resources in the natural and social sciences." Eisenhower asserted, ""l"heir understanding of the Army's needs made possible the highest degree of cooperation. This pattern of integration must be translated into a peacetime counterpart."1 In that same year, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) was established by the U.S. Congress as the first federal agency to contract for basic research. The ONR immediately received $40 million in unspent wartime project money. 2 Shortly thereafter came the establishment of the Army Research Office in 1 9 51, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research in 1952, and the Defense Advanced Projects Agency in 1958.3 The Pentagon had quickly trnplaced a research and development infrastructure devoted exclusively to military pursuits. Each of these military research and development ins,titutions was empowered to contract work from universities and other research institutions. INCREASING ACADEMIC RESEARCH FOR THE DEFENSE DEPARTMENT Over the twenty-six year period from 1960 to 1986, Department of Defense (DOD) obligations to academic institutions Robert Krinsky is co-director of the National Crmzmission for Disarmament and Econrmzic Conversion. He can be reached at 4800 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203. (703) 527-0406. John Klossner 2 Science for the People for research, development, testing, and a greater degree of applied research for the evaluation (RDT&E) totalled $20 billion Pentagon. During the period from 1976to in constant 198 7 dollars. In 1986, funding 1986, the technology base funding levels reached their zenith at the $l.l category comprised more than 60 percent billion level. of the annual research and development All Pentagon research is targeted for a funds to academia. This is a sharp decline military objective. The Defense Department from the levels of technology base funding research, development, testing, and which ranged between 78 percent and 88 evaluation budget category is comprised of percent annually over the period from six sequenced components: 6.1 activity 1978 to 1987.10 supports investigations in the nature of Emphasis on advanced applied research basic processes and phenomena, 6.2 funds is likely to persist, buoyed by such exploratory development, 6. 3 concerns programs as the strategic defense initiative advanced development, and 6.5 includes (SDI). All funding to academia from the management and support of research and SDI Innovatove Science and Technology development activities. The balance of Office is categorized as advanced development research and development programs are funding (6.3).11 SDI funding to academic allocated to operational systems devdopment.4 institutions grew more than five fold in Categories 6.1 and 6.2, taken together, constant dollars, from $24 million in 1985 are regarded by the Pentagon as the to $133.4 million in 1986, and maintained "technology base."5 Historically, they a high level in 198 7 at $10 l.3 million. (SDI have been the predominant areas of figures are in constant 19 82 dollars.