Robert Rathbun Wilson, a renowned physicist, was part of the Manhattan project at the age of 29. After World War II he helped build the Fermilab and became its director from 1967 to 1978.
In 1969 Wilson was called before the Congressional Joint Committee on Atomic Energy to justify a 250 million budget. The budget would be used to build the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, often referred to as Fermilab.
When asked whether this new machine had any value for defending the country against outside enemies, Wilson had to deny and said the following:
“It only has to do with the respect with which we regard one another, the dignity of men, our love of culture… It has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets? I mean all the things that we really venerate and honor in our country and are patriotic about. In that sense, this new knowledge has all to do with honor and country but it has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending.”
As poetic and beautiful as it reads, it sadly isn´t quite what he said. Wilson said these things but in pieces and in random order during the hearing.
“SENATOR JOHN O. PASTORE (Vice Chair of the Committee). Is there anything connected in the hopes of this accelerator that in any way involves the security of the country?
DR. WILSON. No, sir; I do not believe so.
SENATOR PASTORE. Nothing at all?
DR. WILSON. Nothing at all.
SENATOR PASTORE. It has no value in that respect?
DR. WILSON. It only has to do with the respect with which we regard one another, the dignity of men, our love of culture. It has to do with those things.
It has nothing to do with the military…
SENATOR PASTORE. Is there anything here that projects us in a position of being competitive with the Russians, with regard to this race?
DR. WILSON. Only from a long-range point of view, of a developing technology. Otherwise, it has to do with: Are we good painters, good sculptors, great poets? I mean all the things that we really venerate and honor in our country and are patriotic about.
In that sense, this new knowledge has all to do with honor and country but it has nothing to do directly with defending our country except to help make it worth defending.”
