People

Vannevar Bush

American engineer and science administrator who directed the US Office of Scientific Research and Development and the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, later named in UFO-related accounts as an organiser of early government study of reported flying saucers and as a purported founding member of Majestic 12.

Office of Scientific Research and Development; National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics; Raytheon · Engineer and science administrator

Vannevar Bush was an American engineer and science administrator whose career placed him at the centre of US wartime and postwar science policy. He directed the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and was influential in numerous major aerospace projects and companies,¹ co-founded Raytheon, still a major defence contractor,² and directed the Office of Scientific Research and Development, which oversaw the Manhattan Project.³ He served as scientific advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.⁴ Hugh L. Dryden became director of NACA in 1949, after Bush had left the post.⁵

Bush played a key role in bringing German rocket scientists, including Wernher von Braun, to the United States.⁶ According to Dark Mission, this was carried out in direct violation of President Truman’s executive orders.⁷ The same source states that when a military panel judged certain scientists too unimportant to transfer, Bush wrote a critical letter to the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA), arguing the military failed to recognise names as well known in scientific circles as Churchill, Joseph Stalin and Roosevelt were in political ones,⁸ and insisting that several of the scientists were of Nobel Prize stature.⁹ Richard C. Hoagland said that Bush and Theodore von Karman used their influence to have doubts about von Braun’s Nazi SS past overlooked,¹⁰ and that Bush’s efforts were a significant factor in bringing some of the scientists to the United States.¹¹ With Bush’s assistance, the Pentagon channelled a steady stream of expertise into NASA through secret ballistic missile programmes led by von Braun.¹²

Shortly before the Second World War, Bush worked closely with Donald Menzel, an astronomer at Harvard University, on the development of a differential analyzer, an early analog computer.¹³ Testifying in 1950 on Menzel’s behalf in a loyalty hearing, Bush stated that he had first known Menzel in either 1934 or 1935, while engaged in designing and building the machine at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Bush was then Vice President and Dean of Engineering,¹⁴ and that Menzel, then an assistant or associate professor in Harvard’s astronomy department, was interested in applying the device to astronomical and astrophysical problems.¹⁵ Bush testified that their shared interest led to a close technical association that continued until he joined the Carnegie Institution in 1939.¹⁶ Richard C. Hoagland said the unstated objective of the analyzer was to build a computer able to predict the future positions of stars and planets, centuries ahead, from any point in the solar system,¹⁷ and said the device eventually enabled NASA to accomplish some of its “occult goals”.¹⁸

Bush was a 33rd-degree Freemason of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.¹⁹ In the document mailed to Jaime Shandera, he and Menzel were listed as founding members of Majestic 12 (MJ-12).²⁰ Chris Ramsay named Bush, alongside Detlef Gronk, among the members of MJ-12 who may have been involved with UFOs at the time.²¹

The Truman Directive of 24 September 1947 was issued at the request of Bush and James Forrestal, the Secretary of Defense.²² Forrestal and Bush held a lunch with Henry Tizard, the chief scientific adviser to the UK Ministry of Defence, on 1 October 1947, as part of the 1947-10 Forrestal-Tizard meetings.²³ Ross Coulthart said he considers it extremely unlikely that Forrestal and Bush did not brief Tizard on Majestic 12 (MJ-12) and the UFO issue at that meeting.²⁴

According to the 1950 Wilbert Smith memo to the Canadian Department of Transport, Wilbert Smith recorded that Robert Sarbacher said the saucers’ modus operandi was unknown, but that a concentrated effort was being made by a small group headed by Bush.²⁵ Chris Ramsay said the same memorandum records that Bush had put together a team to look into flying saucers.²⁶ Frank Edwards claimed that Bush, described as a prominent inventor, defence industry scientist and founder of the National Science Foundation, led the effort to study an alleged UFO fragment;²⁷ the panel behind the Condon Report determined that Edwards’s claims about the fragment and Bush’s involvement most likely were false.²⁸ UAP Gerb said that Bush established the relationship between scientists and the US government,²⁹ and that in 1948 President Harry S. Truman is alleged to have established classified executive orders - referred to by Eric Davis as Presidential Emergency Action Documents (PEADs) - relegating custody of recovered disks to Atomic Energy Commission National Lab Control, to be studied under Bush’s Joint Research and Development Board and its successor.³⁰ Bush lived in Belmont, Massachusetts, next to Lexington, Massachusetts, where physicist Avi Loeb lives.³¹

References (31)

Directed NACA and was influential in major aerospace projects and companies.
“The NACA director, Dr. Vannevar Bush, was influential in many major aerospace projects and companies.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Co-founded Raytheon, still a major defence contractor.
“He was co-founder of Raytheon systems (still a major defense contractor)”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Directed the Office of Scientific Research and Development, which oversaw the Manhattan Project.
“was director of the Office of Scientific Research and Development, which oversaw the Manhattan Project”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Served as President Franklin D. Roosevelt's scientific advisor.
“He was also President Roosevelt's scientific advisor”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Hugh L. Dryden became NACA director in 1949, after Bush left.
“(Director of NACA since 1949, after Dr. Bush left)”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Played a key role in bringing German rocket scientists, including Wernher von Braun, to the United States.
“played a key role in bringing many of the German rocket scientists, like Wernher Von Braun, to the United States”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Brought Nazi scientists to the US in violation of Truman's executive orders, according to the source.
“Bush originally played a key role in bringing Von Braun and other "ardent Nazis" to the U.S. illegally, in direct violation of President Truman's executive orders.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Wrote a critical letter to the JIOA after a panel judged some scientists too unimportant, citing Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt as comparably well-known figures.
“when certain Nazi rocket scientists were deemed as "too unimportant" to be brought to the U.S. by a military panel, Bush intervened with a scathing letter to the Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency (JIOA) in which he derided the military for not knowing "even elementary information on Germans whose names are as well known in scientific circles as Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt are in political circles."”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Insisted several of the German rocket scientists were of Nobel Prize stature.
“He insisted that several of the scientists were "intellectual giants of Nobel Prize stature."”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Hoagland: Bush and von Karman used influence to have von Braun's Nazi SS past overlooked.
“Fortunately (for Von Braun) he had "friends in high places," not just in Germany, but in the U.S.—in the personages of Drs. Bush and Von Karman. Their influence was so powerful, that doubts expressed by the field investigators about Von Braun's SS Nazi past were ultimately "conveniently" overlooked.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Hoagland: Bush's efforts were a significant factor in bringing the scientists to the US.
“Bush's efforts were clearly a significant factor in some of the Germans being brought to U.S.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
With Bush's help, the Pentagon channelled expertise into NASA via von Braun's secret ballistic missile programmes.
“With the help of Bush, the Pentagon supplied a steady stream of brainpower to NASA through its secret ballistic missile programs led by Wernher Von Braun.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Worked with Donald Menzel on the differential analyzer before the Second World War.
“Shortly before the war, Bush was also working closely with Dr. Donald Menzel, an astronomer at Harvard University, on the development of a "differential analyzer"—the world's first (modern) analog computer.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
1950 testimony: first knew Menzel in 1934/35 while building the analyzer at MIT.
“I first knew DHM [Menzel] of Cambridge, MA, in either 1934 or 1935 when I was engaged in designing and building a machine known as a differential analyzer at MIT, where I was then VP and Dean of Engineering.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
1950 testimony: Menzel was an astronomer interested in applying the analyzer to astrophysics.
“Dr. M., who was then an assistant or associate professor in the astronomy department of Harvard University, was much interested in the possibility of applying the differential analyzer to the solution of certain astronomical and astrophysical problems.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
1950 testimony: the technical association continued until Bush joined the Carnegie Institution in 1939.
“This mutual interest led to a technical association of some intimacy over a period of about a year. Thereafter, until I became associated with the Carnegie Institution in 1939, we met in connection with scientific or technical matters fairly frequently, usually in connection with the development of specialized machinery for astrophysical use.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Hoagland: the analyzer's unstated goal was predicting star and planet positions centuries ahead.
“Although not overtly stated, Bush and Menzel's objective was to develop a computer that could allow them to predict—and centuries ahead—the future positions of stars and planets from any point in the solar system.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Hoagland: the analyzer eventually enabled NASA's 'occult goals'.
“It was this pioneering work with Menzel which eventually—critically—enabled NASA to accomplish some of its "occult" goals.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Was a 33rd-degree Scottish Rite Freemason.
“He was also a 33° Scottish Rite Freemason.”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Listed with Menzel as a founding member of MJ-12 in the memo mailed to Jaime Shandera.
“included both Bush and Menzel as founding members”
Dark Mission ch. 12
Chris Ramsay named Bush and Detlef Gronk among MJ-12's members possibly involved with UFOs.
“including all of the members or some of the members of MJ-12, you know, like Dr. Vannevar Bush and Detlef Gronk.”
Aliens and Albert Einstein - The Secret Document - DEBRIEFED ep. 33 00:37:02
The Truman Directive of 24 September 1947 was issued at Bush and Forrestal's request.
“It was issued at the request of Dr. Vannevar Bush and James Forrestal, the Secretary of Defense, as you've said.”
Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check 00:17:18
Forrestal and Bush lunched with Henry Tizard on 1 October 1947.
“They held a lunch, Forrestal and Bush, Vannevar Bush, held a lunch with the British scientist, Sir Henry Tizard, the chief scientific adviser to the UK Ministry of Defence. On, as you say, the 1st of October 1947”
Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check 00:22:43
Coulthart: unlikely Forrestal and Bush did not brief Tizard on MJ-12 and UFOs.
“it's unlikely in the extreme that they didn't brief Tizard on the UFOs issue on Majestic.”
Watergate, the JFK assassination and a UFO secret at the center of it all | Reality Check 00:23:06
Sarbacher told Smith a small group headed by Bush was studying the saucers.
“Their modus operandi is unknown, but a concentrated effort is being made by a small group headed by Dr Vannevar Bush.”
In Plain Sight ch. 8 View the source record →
Ramsay: the 1950 memo records Bush assembling a team to investigate flying saucers.
“he even says, Vannevar Bush put together a team to look into this stuff”
Non Human Intelligence, GATE Program and Psi Ability with Dr. Julia Mossbridge | ep. 99 02:48:49
Edwards claimed Bush led the effort to study an alleged UFO fragment.
“He also claimed that Dr. Vannevar Bush, a prominent inventor, defense industry scientist, and founder of the National Science Foundation, led the effort to study the fragment.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char 51650-51816 View the source record →
The Condon Report panel found Edwards's claims most likely false.
“The Condon panel determined that these claims most likely were false.”
Report on the Historical Record of U.S. Government Involvement with Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), Volume I char 51826-51889 View the source record →
UAP Gerb: Bush established the scientist-government relationship.
“You can actually thank one of the greatest scientific minds in US history, Dr. Vannevar Bush, for establishing the relationship between the scientists and between the US government.”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:56:34
UAP Gerb: 1948 PEADs put recovered disks under Bush's Joint Research and Development Board.
“there are serious credible allegations that within the late 40s, 1948, to be specific, President Harry Truman established classified presidential executive orders, also referred to by your colleague, Dr. Eric Davis, as PEADS, presidential emergency action documents, that relegated custody of recovered disks to Atomic Energy Commission National Lab Control to be studied under Vannevar Bush, his soon to be Joint Research and Development Board and then Research and Development Board”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:56:53
Bush lived in Belmont, Massachusetts, next to Lexington, where Avi Loeb lives.
“Vannevar Bush lived in Belmont, which is just next to where I live in Lexington, Massachusetts.”
Episode 73: Science vs. Secrecy 00:57:23

Vannevar Bush

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