From the start, the JASONs, as the members were known, were unique among scientific advisers: They were granted top secret clearances, which allowed them access to information that ordinary academics could never have had. Because they were not government scientists, they also had the independence to criticize projects. Though funded by ARPA, the group ran its own affairs and selected its own members. They were brilliant, patriotic, and eager to make some money, a reputation that earned JASON the sarcastic moniker of the “golden fleece.”
