James B. Fisk papers
Scope and Contents of the Collection
Correspondence, notes, photographs, reports, articles, and speeches document Fisk's work on atomic fission. A diary describes his trip to Italy, 1943 1944, to contact other scientists and identify important scientific documents. Correspondence with Vannevar Bush provides details about Fisk's consulting work for the United States Office of Scientific Research and Development during World War II. There is information about Fisk's assignment as head of a delegation of scientists sent to Geneva by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1958 to negotiate the technical groundwork for the nuclear test ban treaty. Correspondence documents his service as a member of the corporation at Harvard University and MIT including his service on search committees for MIT presidents in 1965 and 1970.
Dates
- 1931 - 1977
Creator
- Fisk, James Brown (Person)
Access note
This collection is open.
Conditions Governing Use
Access to collections in the Department of Distinctive Collections is not authorization to publish. Please see the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy for permission information. Copyright of some items in this collection may be held by respective creators, not by the donor of the collection or MIT.
Biography
James Brown Fisk, 1910-1981, SB in aeronautical engineering, 1931, PhD in theoretical physics, 1935, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, taught physics at the University of North Carolina and at MIT before joining Bell Laboratories in 1939. During World War II he headed a group that developed the microwave device used to generate high frequency radar. He was appointed assistant director of research at Bell Labs in 1949, vice president for research in 1954, and executive vice president in 1955. He was president of Bell Labs from 1959 to 1973, when he became chair of the board. In 1947 he served as the first director of research for the US Atomic Energy Commission. In 1958 he headed a team of scientists sent to Geneva by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to negotiate the technical groundwork for the nuclear test ban treaty. He was a member of the corporation at Harvard University and MIT, and served on MIT presidential search committees in 1965 and 1970.
Extent
3 Cubic Feet (3 record cartons)
Language of Materials
English
Location
Materials are stored off-site. Advance notice is required for use.
Processing Information note
Some collection descriptions are based on legacy data and may be incomplete or contain inaccuracies. Description may change pending verification. Please contact the MIT Department of Distinctive Collections if you notice any errors or discrepancies.
- Conference on the Discontinuance of Nuclear Weapon Tests (1958-1962 : Geneva, Switzerland)
- Fisk, James Brown
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology -- Faculty Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Corporation. Committee on Succession
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Corporation. Committee on the President
- Nuclear weapons -- Testing. Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- United States. President's Science Advisory Committee. Security Resources Panel
Creator
- Fisk, James Brown (Person)
- Title
- Preliminary Inventory to the Papers of James B. Fisk
- Status
- Ready For Review
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Libraries. Department of Distinctive Collections Repository
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Libraries
Building 14N-118
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02139-4307 US
distinctive-collections@mit.edu