Paul Baran’s 1960s Packet Switching Pitch to AT&T and the DoD

Paul Baran’s 1960s Packet Switching Pitch to AT&T and the DoD The passage recounts historical technical discussions from the early 1960s about packet‑switching and defense communications. It mentions no current wrongdoing, financial flows, or actionable leads involving present‑day officials or agencies, limiting its investigative usefulness. Key insights: Baran proposed a $60 million mesh network to replace $2 billion annual DoD telecom spend.; He faced resistance from AT&T executives who favored hub‑and‑spoke designs.; The narrative highlights early awareness of network survivability against nuclear attack.