On January 11, 1965, MIT President Julius Stratton spoke to the Technology and Culture Seminar. Here is an excerpt: 

[Military] laboratories or projects managed by universities have been undertaken in almost every instance because of a real and urgent need and in the absence of any apparent alternative solutions….One can easily demonstrate that, taken as a whole, these institutions have contributed enormously to the military security of the United States…By virtue of the close coupling of engineering and science, the results of our progress have fed back into the university, revitalizing engineering education and stimulating basic science as well. 

And yet for many it is difficult to reconcile the scale and character of these new developments with the historic mission of the university. Is there not something incongruous about the management of our national affairs that universities should be charged with so large a measure of responsibility for defense research? Should we not in the longterm interests of the country diligently seek to devise other means of fulfilling these particular obligations? No doubt we should.

Please join us as we consider these wise words at our program on Thursday!