Engineering Research Associates

Engineering Research Associates (ERA) was a pioneering American computer firm that emerged in the immediate post-Second World War period and became especially noted for its early numerical computers and advances in magnetic drum memory. Formed by former United States Navy cryptanalysts, the company played a foundational role in the technological and commercial development of computing in the United States, particularly in the fields of military codebreaking and early electronic data processing. Although ERA was eventually absorbed into the Remington Rand and later Sperry Rand corporate structures, its legacy endured through the creation of Control Data Corporation and through the influence of several of its leading engineers, including Seymour Cray.

Wartime Origins and Cryptanalytic Foundations

The origins of ERA lay within the United States Navy’s cryptographic research operations during the Second World War, specifically within the Communications Supplementary Activity, Washington (CSAW). This highly secretive unit was tasked with designing specialised machines for codebreaking and signal analysis. As war budgets declined sharply after 1945, senior naval figures, notably Joseph Wenger, became concerned that the dispersal of the CSAW team into industry would reduce the Navy’s capacity to develop new cryptanalytic machinery rapidly. In response, Wenger sought to preserve this expertise by encouraging the establishment of a civilian enterprise that could continue supporting naval cryptanalysis under contract.

Post-War Formation and Industrial Partnership

William Norris and Howard Engstrom, both associated with CSAW, began searching for financial support to create an independent engineering company. After initial investment negotiations failed, they established contact with John Parker, an investor who had previously overseen Northwest Aeronautical Corporation (NAC), a glider-manufacturing subsidiary based in St Paul, Minnesota. With wartime production ending, NAC was on the verge of closure, and Parker sought projects that could maintain operations at the site. Although he was not informed of the details due to security restrictions, successive visits from high-ranking naval officers convinced him of the project’s importance. ERA was formally incorporated in January 1946, employing around forty former Navy codebreakers and relocating to the NAC facility.
During this early period the company accepted a variety of engineering contracts but relied primarily on classified naval projects. Their factory was designated a United States Navy Reserve base and operated under strict guard, reflecting the sensitivity of work undertaken there.

Early Machines and Development of Drum Memory

ERA engineers rapidly began creating new codebreaking machinery using magnetic drum memory, an emerging storage technology that would become closely associated with the firm. Their first experimental system, known as Goldberg, was completed in 1947. It used a rudimentary drum constructed by attaching magnetic tape to a rotating cylinder. Over subsequent years, ERA implemented improvements that increased both storage capacity and rotational speed, enabling more efficient analysis of intercepted signals.
Another significant system, known as Demon, was built to decode a particular Soviet communication cipher. The Soviet Union’s alteration of the code in 1949 rendered the machine obsolete, illustrating the limitations of fixed-function cryptanalytic devices and reinforcing the need for more adaptable computing machines.

Stored-Programme Computing: The Atlas Machines

A key influence in ERA’s technological direction was James Pendergrass, a naval officer who had attended lectures at the Moore School of Engineering in 1946. He became convinced that future cryptanalytic work required a programmable computer rather than specialised machines tied to individual codes. As a result, the Navy awarded ERA the important Task 13 contract in 1947. This initiative produced the Atlas I computer, the first stored-programme computing system to be delivered in the United States. Completed in 1950 and employing magnetic drum memory, the system was later offered commercially as the UNIVAC 1101, the designation reflecting the binary value of the number 13.
Even before Atlas I was completed, the Navy commissioned a more advanced system, the Atlas II, which combined drum memory with Williams tube electrostatic storage. Work began in 1950, and the completed machine was delivered to the National Security Agency in 1953.

High-Speed Computing Devices and Contributions to Computing Literature

In 1950 ERA published High-Speed Computing Devices, a comprehensive 450-page textbook summarising the prevailing techniques, devices, and principles used in electronic computing. Adapted from a classified report for the Office of Naval Research, the book omitted sensitive material while retaining detailed explanations of digital logic, circuit design, and system architecture. Notably, the publication anticipated the significance of the transistor, predicting its eventual competitiveness with vacuum tubes in both cost and performance. The text became an important reference for engineers and students during the formative years of electronic computing.

Legal Challenges and Corporate Acquisition

ERA’s attempts to expand into commercial markets were impeded by political controversy. Journalist Drew Pearson alleged that the founding of ERA represented a conflict of interest for Norris and Engstrom, accusing them of exploiting wartime government connections for personal gain. The resulting investigations and legal disputes placed severe financial and organisational strains on the company.
In 1952 ERA was acquired by Remington Rand, which had already expanded into computing by purchasing the Eckert–Mauchly Computer Corporation two years earlier. For a period, ERA and Eckert–Mauchly functioned as separate units within the parent corporation: ERA focused on scientific, defence, and government customers, while the UNIVAC product line concentrated on business computing applications.

Integration into Sperry Rand and Employee Departures

The corporate landscape shifted again in 1955 with the merger of Remington Rand and Sperry Corporation, forming Sperry Rand. Subsequently, ERA and Eckert–Mauchly were consolidated into a single Sperry-UNIVAC division. Many ERA projects were discontinued, but their drum memory technologies continued to influence UNIVAC systems throughout the late 1950s.
The restructuring prompted dissatisfaction among numerous ERA staff members, including William Norris and the influential computer architect Seymour Cray. This group departed to establish Control Data Corporation (CDC), which went on to become one of the most significant high-performance computer manufacturers of the twentieth century. Within CDC, Cray developed the early architectures that would eventually evolve into the Cray supercomputers.

Continued Military Research and the Aerospace Division

Despite the departure of key personnel, the core ERA team persisted within Sperry Rand. They were relocated to a newly organised research unit that operated with greater autonomy and concentrated on military computing systems. This group contributed to the development of command-and-control technologies and early guidance systems for intercontinental ballistic missiles and satellite programmes. The unit became known as the Military Division and was later renamed the Aerospace Division, reflecting its expanding scope of defence-related computing research.