25th August 1999
Dear Prof Chris E-Y,
At the request of Peter Kirstein I am sending copies of early papers which contain my first thoughts on packet switching. The `historical note' was written much later - it might help.
10 November 1965, Remote on-line data processing and its communication needs
This was an aide-memoir after my first thoughts and needs careful reading to extract its message.
16 November 1965, Further speculations on data transmission
This note looked at some human factors issues and seems now to be a description of today's e-mail interfaces.
15 December 1965, Proposal for the development of a national communication service for on-line data processing
The first collected thoughts. The capital figures are wrong. Page 7 is interesting.
June 1966, Proposal for a digital communication network
This was the substance of a lecture I gave in March 1966.
October 1-4 1967, A digital communication network for computers giving rapid response at remote terminals
This is the Gatlinburg paper. I have a copy of Larry Roberts' paper but you must have this.
Report on visit of R.A.Scantlebury to the 1967 ACM symposium U.S.A.
A data communication network for real-time computers (date unknown)
CCITT meeting at Geneva, November 23 to 27 [ed. note: preparation1, preparation2, report]
I have included these papers because they throw light on the first response of the telecom. establishment to these ideas, which were first raised by me in Geneva in 1967.
Yours sincerely