Piecing together the jigsaw

Another solid slog in the Research Room today - 90 degrees outside, but as ever the Eisenhower Presidential Library was COLD. It seems that the building has an in-built inverse reaction - as the heat rises outside, the chill sets in within the 1961 walls of the building.

Abilene is really green at the moment though - it was already the washed-out height of summer last time I came, so it's nice to see the trees just greening up and butterflies swarming on the flowers in the manicured Library gardens.

All those yellow flashes on top of the plants are butterflies -my picture doesn't do justice to the hundreds clustering around.

The first 90 minutes today revealed nothing of note but the next 90 proved fruitful. This afternoon, spent working laboriously through the Washington diary of George Kistiakowsky, who succeeded Jim Killian as Eisenhower's Scientific Adviser, demonstrated just how much policy was made on the fly, and the extreme lobbying power of certain individuals who ensured their case was made to the President, even when cost, logic and sentiment appeared to favour other options.

My companion in the research room was the very charming Dr Dave Nichols author of 'A Matter of Justice' and 'Eisenhower 1956'. Very self-effacing and obviously in love with his subject, I'm looking forward to learning more from him over the course of the week.

Back in the ol' routine

Things I've learned today:

• Researching in a Presidential archive is better second time round - I really enjoyed my day's research today and got much more out of it than on my last visit to Abilene. This time round, rather than just grabbing anything related to 'space', I know what I'm after. I'm looking for links that draw the key 'helping hands' together in the Eisenhower/space policy story. And, after about five boxes of Bissell material, I've teased out quite a lot of stuff that will be useful in the thesis.
• It's impossible to look at research materials for eight hours straight. This kind of research demands breaks - a walk to the local cafe (great for overhearing gossip) at lunchtime; a walk to the local store to buy a drink. Otherwise, I stop seeing seeing what's in front of me when I'm reading documents late in the day.
• It's better to do fewer boxes thoroughly than try to cover everything in the library. Last time round I 'covered' 18 boxes one  day. Today I did five - and got far more out of them.
• Don't talk religion or politics around this town. The people are wonderfully warm and welcoming  here - but I don't think there are too many sharing my liberal views.   

First corporate sponsorship recorded

I'm off to Abilene.....or at least the planned trip is beginning to turn into reality.

Having got news at the end of last week that I'd won a BAAS travel award, I started this week with the great news that a company I've freelanced for over the past four years had agreed to sponsor part of my research. I banked the cheque this morning - thank you very much the fabulous CMS Cameron McKenna LLP.

I've also applied for funding direct to the Eisenhower Foundation who manage travel grant applications to visit the Eisenhower Presidential Library. If I'm lucky enough to receive an award, that will pretty much cover a 10-day 'smash and grab' trip to the NASA archive in DC and the Eisenhower facility. My plan is to get hold of as much primary source material as possible - and then analyse it and turn it into my opening chapter over the course of the rest of 2010.

I'm still working my way through Divine's book on the fallout from Sputnik, but planning ahead, have treated myself to a new book today - a repackaging of Mailer's writing around Apollo 11. My copy of 'Moonfire' should arrive in about a month.

My research seems to be sparking interest among a few of the key influencers that I want to reach - I even had an email from former US Vice President Mondale this afternoon offering to answer my questions. Man may not be going beyond earth orbit any time soon, but manned space exploration remains a subject of interest open to rigorous debate.

It's a good news day!

I've just found out that I've secured my first research funding - a BAAS Postgraduate Short-Term Travel Award for 2010. It'll be in the £ hundreds not £ thousands - but seeing as I'm funding everything from net income at the moment, every little helps.

While I'm far from writing anything to do with the thesis, I'm beginning to think myself through what needs to happen much more clearly. It's progress: it's slow...but it's progress.

Anyway, with a bit of funding in place - and an application to the Eisenhower Foundation wining its way to the US, I can start planning this summer's research trip to the Eisenhower Presidential Library in Abilene, Kansas.