Fstate Scientist: Omond Mckillop Solandt and Government Science
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fState Scientist: Omond McKillop Solandt and Government Science in War and Hostile Peace, 1939-1956/ Scientifique.de l'Etat: Omond McKillop Solandt et la Science du Gouvernement lors de la Guerre et de la Paix Hostile, 1939-1956 A Thesis Submitted to the Division of Graduate Studies of the Royal Military College of Canada by Jason Sean Ridler, MA Royal Military College of Canada, 2001 BA (Hons.) York University, 1999 In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August 2008 ©This thesis may be used within the Department of National Defence but copyright for open publication remains the property of the author. Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-47901-8 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-47901-8 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada The research involving human subjects that is reported in this thesis was conducted with the approval of the Royal Military College of Canada General Research Ethics Board. 111 To Omond McKillop Solandt (1909-1993) "To study history means submitting to chaos and nevertheless retaining faith in order and meaning." Herman Hesse, The Glass Bead Game ACKNOWLEDGMENTS While the historian's main tasks of research, reading, and writing are solitary affairs, no work of history is an author's alone. I have been grateful for the support of a diverse array of people in the creation of this thesis. I owe a tremendous debt to David Grenville. His years of research on Omond Solandt's life, including the many interviews he conducted with Solandt and his contemporaries, as well as his own insight into the man's accomplishments, were invaluable. For my own interviews and private papers, I thank Paul Hellyer; Cecil Law; George Lindsey; Archie Pennie; Michael Bliss; Robert Bothwell; Terry Copp; Don Phillipson; Kitty and George Fells, Kathy Solandt; and Vaire Solandt. Each provided perspectives on Solandt and his professional and personal life that enriched my understanding of the man and his work. Outside of my own income, funding for my research and writing came solely from the following sources: the War Studies programme, the History Department, and individual professors of the Royal Military College of Canada; a grant from the Canadian Operational Research Society; and my family. Specific thanks to Michael Hennessy; Brian McKercher; Doug Delaney; Jim Kenny; Sean Maloney; Bill Simms; Doug Paton; and James and Julie Ridler, for their support. My research in Canada was greatly facilitated by Harold Averill, chief archivist for the Solandt fonds at University of Toronto Archive, and Steve Harris and his staff at the Directorate of History and Heritage, Ottawa. Thanks also to the staffs at the Queen's University Archive, Kingston and the National Archive of Canada, Ottawa, for their friendly assistance. In the UK, thanks to the staff of the National Archives, Richmond; the Imperial War Museum, London; the University of East Anglia, Norwich; and the Wellcome Trust, London. Special thanks to Sean Maloney for introducing me to Solandt's legacy and sharing his enthusiasm for my work, and to the late Lieutenant-Colonel (Ret'd) John Marteinson for his support on this project during a difficult year. Personal thanks to my parents for their unfailing support through five hard years, and to my lady Erin, who came into my life at the turning of the tide on this project, and whose love and support made the last race to the finish possible. Finally, I thank my supervisor Michael A. Hennessy, whose guidance, patience and support not only channelled my own "aggressive enthusiasm" toward a successful end, but also proved invaluable to my intellectual development. v ABSTRACT Ridler, Jason Sean; Ph.D. War Studies, Royal Military College of Canada; July 2008, "State Scientist: Omond McKillop Solandt and Government Science in War and Hostile Peace, 1939-1956"; Dr. Michael A. Hennessy. A physiologist by training, an engineer by disposition, and leader by intellectual inclination, Dr. Omond McKillop Solandt's introduction to state-directed science was a direct result of British war needs for scientific and technical manpower. His career paralleled the increased importance and value of science as a tool for the government's war effort across a spectrum of fields. These fields included management of blood transfusion and civil defence, operational research and army science management, and casualty research in the atomic battleground of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Returning to Canada in 1945, Solandt's career reached its zenith when he became chairman of the newly created Defence Research Board. As chairman he acted as a scientific chief of staff, the chief executive of a multi-disciplined defence research service, and scientific advisor to three Ministers of National Defence. Examining Solandt's decade-long chairmanship provides a unique map into Canada's defence research agenda in the technologically and politically defined Cold War era that included continental defence, international science cooperation between Canada, Britain, and the US, and weapons of mass destruction. As part of the growing literature on the history of science and government during the Second World War and Cold War in Britain and Canada, this thesis both chronicles and analyzes the career of Dr. Solandt. While Solandt's contributions to British and Canadian war and post-war defence science were appreciated by contemporaries, noted by official government histories, and acknowledged by historians, none have attempted either a detailed biographical analysis of his life or established his contribution within the broader historical framework of the growth in state science during the world war and Cold War. Both of these goals form the heart of this thesis Managing science within the unique environment of government and the military became Solandt's arena of intellectual acumen. He successfully navigated and led unconventional science organizations to success against initial resistance from domestic opposition, formulated successful working relationships with industry and academia, and harnessed science for effective government projects. His career provides a case study for understanding the increasing importance and complex relationships of state-directed VI science in war and peace at the heart of the twentieth century, and how such a relationship can surmount the formidable challenges it faces. Keywords: Omond Solandt, Charles Best, Charles Foulkes, Brooke Claxton, C. D. Howe, L. B. Pearson, Basil Schonland, Solly Zuckerman, Laurie Chute, Charles Ellis, Edward Mellanby, Bernard Law Montgomery, British History, Canadian History, Physiology, Polio Epidemic, Operational Research, Military History, Medical History, Science History, Technology History, Armoured Warfare, Atomic Warfare, Biological Warfare, Chemical Warfare, Continental Defence, Science Management, Guided Missiles, Mid Canada Line, McGill Fence, Canadian Foreign Relations, Canadian Science, British Science, Blood Transfusion, The Battle of Britain, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Scientific Advice, Brainwashing, The Second World War, The Cold War. VII RESUME Ridler, Jason Sean; Ph.D. Etudes de guerre, College Militaire Royal du Canada; Juillet 2008, " Scientifique de PEtat: Omond McKillop Solandt et la Science du Gouvernement lors de la Guerre et de la Paix Hostile, 1939-1956"; Dr. Michael A. Hennessy. Faisant partie de la litterature grandissante sur Phistoire de la science et du gouvernement pendant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale et la Guerre Froide en Grande- Bretagne et au Canada, cette these analyse et fait la chronique de la carriere et de la contribution du physiologiste Canadien, chercheur operationnel, et directeur de la science du gouvernement Dr. Omond McKillop Solandt. Quoique les contributions