This book has been a long time coming, a time of accumulating debts to organizations and individuals. A grant from the American Council of Learned Societies in 1979 made possible the initial gathering of material in the United States. The main funding necessary to continue and complete the work was provided by the HSFR, a Swedish governmental research-supporting organization. A concluding trip to America for complementary research and publication preparations was financed by funds made available by Uppsala University. To all these institutions I want to extend my deep gratitude.
Many people supported the undertaking over the years. My debt to Professor Alex Roland of Duke University can hardly be exaggerated. Although our original joint-project design had to be abandoned, his early contributions were invaluable. He brought to it a unique combination of experience and knowledge as a specialist in American military history and history of technology, a Marine officer and Vietnam veteran, and a literary enthusiast, adding his and his family's unfailing friendship for good measure. An even longer history of friendship and early support underlay the encouragement and constructive criticism of my mentor at Uppsala University, Professor Olov Fryckstedt, an admirable teacher, an outstanding scholar, and a great human being. Other expert advice and assistance were furnished by Professor Watson Branch, formerly of the University of Cincinnati, who pointed the way out of various structural dead ends. Professors Paul Levine, Per Seyersted, and Orm Øverland, at the Universities of
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