Another goal of particle and nuclear physics funding from the 60's through 90's was to produce a steady stream of highly qualified people to work at the defense

Another goal of particle and nuclear physics funding from the 60's through 90's was to produce a steady stream of highly qualified people to work at the defense labs (Los Alamos, Livermore, Lincoln Labs, etc). My colleagues would get prestigious fellowships to do research at these places, and eventually get sucked into the classified research area. Unfortunately, I don't think the best and brightest U.S. students are going into physics these days, so this rationale for research investment is no longer there.