Steven V Johnson wrote:
...and out of the other side:
"Oh, by the way, if you attempt to market this technology to any
foreign government, we will take an extremely dim view of your
actions. We will be watching you."
They did not say anything like that. The U.S. Army knew that everyone
would soon have this technology. It wasn't that difficult to
replicate. The Germans in particular were soon far ahead of the
Wrights. Just before WWI one of their military pilots flew for 21
hours, 1,900 kilometers. This was no secret. On the contrary they
bragged about it in the newspapers, and gave the pilot a medal.
Also, you have to realize that many generals and admirals felt that
airplanes would not be particularly useful in war. Looking at the
machines of 1908, you might reach that conclusion too. So the top
brass was not anxious to keep the technology secret. After 1908, the
U.S. made no effort to keep up with European aviation. And even the
most enthusiastic proponents of airpower could not have dreamed that
airplanes would play such a vital role in WWI.
People seldom realize how important a technology may become. Even
experts tend to wear blinders. Compare the Defense Intelligence
Agency Report to my book for example. Looking only at direct military
applications, the D.I.A. thought of only a small fraction of the
things I came up with. And I am certainly no expert in military
technology! I am sure that I have barely scratched the surface. (The
author, Beverly Barnhart, told me she has not read my book.)
You don't need to guess about any of this, by the way. The Wrights
preserved their correspondence with the U.S. War Department and
others. All of their papers were published. Historians have been over
these events with a fine-toothed comb. The problem is that there is
too much stuff. I have a dozen books on the Wrights and there must be
hundreds more. Some books are inaccurate, so you have to watch out.
I should get a copy of their original papers. I have read them in the library.
I also have books about less well known early aviators.
- Jed
