In 1938, as war in Europe seems increasingly likely, President Roosevelt challenges America’s aircraft industry to dramatically increase its output. By 1940, U.S. aircraft production far exceeds that of the Germany or Japan. Government oversight and support are provided by NACA, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Langley Field in Hampton, Virginia, is home to Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory, a NACA facility. The lab is rapidly expanding its capacity to test new aircraft designs and suggest improvements to manufacturers. New physical facilities are constantly being built, and Melvin Butler, the head of personnel, has to hire more and more staff. To support the engineers, he needs “computers”—human mathematicians who can analyze the numerical data from wind tunnel tests. In the past few years, this has become a job for women. They have proven to be good at the work, and because their pay is less than men’s, Langley saves money.

By 1943, however, Butler is struggling to hire enough women calculators. Two years earlier, a threatened strike by the railroad porters’ union, led by A. Philip Randolph, prompted Roosevelt to sign two executive orders to desegregate the defense industry. Now, Butler is seeing increasing numbers of applications from Black women wanting to work as mathematicians. We don’t know what Butler may think privately about race, but whatever those views are, he respects competence and needs all the help he can get. Given the social rules of the time, a racially integrated workplace is not possible. In a just-completed building, Butler quietly sets up a segregated workspace for the Black women.