Electronic eyes for the allies: Anglo-American cooperation on radar development during World War II

Radar was one of the most important technologies of World War II. It was still in its infancy when the war began in 1939, but policymakers in the United States and United Kingdom realized that radar might well spell the difference between victory and defeat. In an effort to maximize radar's potential for the Allied war effort, America and Britain decided to pool their resources in late 1940. The result was a remarkable collaboration between two countries on the development of a secret and vital technology.; Cooperation was initiated during the British Technical and Scientific Mission to the United States, led by Sir Henry Tizard in autumn 1940. During the mission, the British divulged many of their deepest secrets about radar and other technologies in the hope of reciprocity from the United States and—even more important—American aid in developing and producing essential war-fighting tools such as radar. The United States enthusiastically obliged and, over the next three years, collaboration on radar development grew steadily closer. This process culminated in the establishment of an American radar research laboratory on British soil.; This study takes a close look at Anglo-American cooperation on radar research, searching for the lessons that can be drawn from this series of events that took place at the intersection of international politics and technological development. One theme that emerges is the parallel evolution of collaboration on radar development and the broad Anglo-American relationship. During the course of World War II, the United Kingdom gradually relinquished its position of world leadership to the United States. The same process was at work in radar development. Another lesson is that pressure from personal, institutional and national interests was a source of constant tension which policymakers dealt with effectively through negotiation and the establishment of bureaucratic structures. A third theme is the key role of military circumstances in setting research priorities and the importance of British and American scientists' perspectives in deciding how best to address those circumstances. These are some of the themes that emerge from this examination of Anglo-American collaboration on radar research during World War II.