Chapter 4 : World War II: 1939-1946 

The Prewar Years 

The 1930s had been a period of great changes on the international scene, in the United States, and at MIT. Military confrontations and invasions in the Far East and Europe were warnings of armed conflicts to come, The Fall of 1939 saw the start of World War II. 

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• FH. Norton 
• Vinal 

Curriculum 

Wiki MarkupIn the late 1930s, the options in undergraduate Metallurgy had been eliminated. As stated in the 1938 Course Catalogue (p. 74): "the two subdivisions \ [are\] so closely interrelated that a sharp separation is not possible." The President's Report for 1937-38 commented: "As of the Fall of 1938, there was no longer a sharp distinction made between Process Metallurgy and Physical Metallurgy. It is believed that the new arrangement will equip students better for later professional work." However, aside from the Metallurgy option, Seniors could elect a Mineral Dressing option. Both options led to the B.S. degree in Metallurgy.  

The Faculty Minutes of May 19, 1937 report various changes in required subjects: two terms each of Applied Mechanics and Physical Chemistry, in addition to traditional subjects such as Analytical Chemistry and Testing Materials Laboratory. Metallurgical subjects were assigned mainly to the fourth year. A new subject in Theoretical Metallurgy dealing with atomic arrangements in alloys was offered (President's Report for 1936-37, p. 109). The President's Report for 1939-40 commented: "The teaching programs became more fundamental for the first three years." 

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The regular academic program was accelerated because most civilian students were, in fact, enrolled "on borrowed time" (U.S. Office on Education, Handbook on Education and the War, cited in Romanowski, p. 37). Allowing students to complete their studies if they could do so in a relatively short time proved to be a sound policy that served the national interest. This was particularly true of advanced undergraduates, including an appreciable number of students in Course III. unmigrated-wiki-markup

Graduate students, increasingly in the transition period and especially after the outbreak of hostilities involving the United States, "found themselves involved \ [in\] or, worse, barred from secret defense research projects" (Romanowski, p. 36). "As early as December 1940, it was suggested that 'the customary examination upon the thesis will have to be waived or restricted to those officially connected with the project involved'" (Dean J.W.R. Bunker to J.R. Killian, December 5, 1940-after Romanowski, p. 36). Problems of this kind probably became severe in the Department of Metallurgy later than in the Departments of Aeronautics and Naval Engineering, which traditionally were concerned with some military applications.  

Some teaching activities by members of the Department of Metallurgy responded directly to wartime needs. Professor Williams mentioned to President Compton that there had been an increase in "metallography" enrollments (R.S. Williams to K. T. Compton, September 12,1941). Professors Homerberg and Cohen offered National Defense Training Courses in "Applications of Metallography" and gave special lectures on heat treatment for inspectors in the Boston area (Burchard, p. 194). Members of the Metallurgy Department also gave special service courses in the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) for a short time and the Navy V-12 program for longer (Burchard, p. 9). 

The total teaching load of the Department and especially that of some faculty members was lightened by the direct effects of the emergency and as the result of administrative policy. The direct effects arose from smaller classes, decreases in the number of theses, and curtailment of subject offerings (President's Report for 1943- 44). The administrative policy freed some faculty members from teaching duties to allow them to concentrate on war-related work. 

Wiki MarkupThe attitude of the Institute administration is illustrated by the following example. In a letter dated March 13, 1941, Professor Williams wrote to Acting President Killian: "Dr. Homerberg is quite troubled because the increasing demands for his advice on metallurgical problems connected with the Defense program are interfering with his teaching time." Killian replied the following day: "\[Hornerberg's\] participation in this kind of work is entirely in line with one of the major objectives of the Institute-that it render a public service." This example demonstrates how MIT was able to make contributions to wartime research and development. In the same way, the Institute could free staff members for policy and administrative positions in industry and government. The attitude of the Institute administration is illustrated by the following example. In a letter dated March 13, 1941, Professor Williams wrote to Acting President Killian: "Dr. Homerberg is quite troubled because the increasing demands for his advice on metallurgical problems connected with the Defense program are interfering with his teaching time." Killian replied the following day: "[Hornerberg's] participation in this kind of work is entirely in line with one of the major objectives of the Institute-that it render a public service." This example demonstrates how MIT was able to make contributions to wartime research and development. In the same way, the Institute could free staff members for policy and administrative positions in industry and government. 

Consulting, Research and Development 

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