Harold H. Buttner Research and Development in Radio and Electronics, 1915-1974

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. Literary rights for this interview are vested in the Director of The Bancroft Library. Any quotation for publication of the material included herein requires the advance written approval of the Director. A request to see the transcript constitutes an agreement to abide by this restriction. Oral history can frequently provide useful information on subjects not easily retrieved from published sources. Hence the questions often dwell on family history, social and economic con ditions affecting research, interactions with colleagues and peculiarities of institutional organization. They can also elicit useful data on scientists' perceptions of themselves, their colleagues, and their discipline. With respect to the historical record, oral history ought therefore to be taken as a retrospective first approximation, a starting point to organize research for cor roborating data in sources contemporary to the events described or to gather hints about possible relationships, influences and sources that might otherwise be overlooked. It should be borne in mind that the interview records what the interviewee remembers during the interview about what happened at a given place and time. Typically, many years have passed since the events occurred: selective memory (and sometimes wishful thinking) may have had ample time to Operate. In general, information obtained in response to broader questions is more likely to be accurate, albeit more difficult to corroborate, than answers on specific events, influences, and accomplishments.