Harvard University's first cyclotron, constructed in the 1930s, was dismantled and moved from its original location in Boston to Los Alamos, New Mexico, which was the center for atomic bomb assembly. This cyclotron has never been analyzed in depth. This paper elucidates and analyzes the process through which Harvard's cyclotron was developed. It aims to clarify the distinctive features of cyclotron development at Harvard. Specifically, it describes the role of Harvard University President James B. Conant in the decision to construct a cyclotron; the role of private enterprise in achieving cyclotron technology; and the difficulties encountered in securing funds. The following conclusions are drawn: 1) To promote nuclear physics research, in which the university was lagging behind, Conant took direct initiative for building a cyclotron. Without his initiative, arousing opinion within the university and obtaining support from military and business sources would probably have been impossible; 2) The free loan of a radio transmitter from the Department of the. Navy was a major factor in the decision to construct a cyclotron. At the same time, it created new difficulties in actually achieving cyclotron technology. These difficulties were overcome through cyclotron technology accumulated by enterprises and research institutions in the United States and, more directly, by the spread of cyclotron technology through exchanges among cyclotron engineers; 3) University funds financed the cyclotron's construction, but support for its operation and maintenance were requested from outside sources.
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