  This paper examines the ideological and policy consensus that shaped
computing research funded by the Information Processing Techniques Office
(IPTO) within the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency
(ARPA). This historical case study of the period between Sputnik and the
creation of the ARPANET shows how military, scientific, and academic values
shaped the institutions and relations of a foundational period in the creation
of the Internet.
  The paper probes three areas: the ideology of the science policy consensus,
the institutional philosophy of IPTO under J. C. R. Licklider, and the ways
that this consensus and philosophy shaped IPTO research in the period leading
to the creation of the ARPANET. By examining the intellectual, cultural, and
institutional details of the consensus that governed IPTO research between 1957
and 1969, we can understand the ways that these values defined the range of
possibilities for network computing.
  The influence of the social values expressed by these actors was decisive:
that government had an obligation to support a broad base of scientific
research to promote both the public good and the national defense; that
IPTO-sponsored computing research would accomplish both military and scientific
objectives; and that IPTO could leverage its power within this consensus to
create a network to share resources and unite researchers over geographical
distance. A greater awareness of the ways that "consensus" worked in this
period -- the "pre-history" of the Internet -- provides a richer context for
evaluating the unique features of the Internet, such as its open architecture,
collegial culture, and standards-based governance.
