Includes summary reports, correspondence, notes, memos and other reports. Project records include Summary Reports nos. 1-2 and biweekly reports for the period December 1947 to January 1959. Project Whirlwind was sponsored by the Special Devices Center of the Office of Naval Research under Contract N5 ori 60. The original objective of the project was the development of a device that would simulate airplanes in flight. As the project progressed, other applications of the computer evolved. The project was centered in the Servomechanics Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.). In the course of the research, Whirlwind evolved from an aircraft simulator into a high-speed digital computer and finally into a key element of the United States' early air defense system. In 1958, M.I.T. decided that it was not appropriate for an educational institution like itself to be so heavily involved in air defense research, and the MITRE Corporation was formed to carry on the work. Most of MITRE's employees, facilities and equipment were transferred from M.I.T.