Is there any evidence that Shockley was aware of Lilienfeld’s FET? I mean, given Shockley’s general disposition, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’d stolen things, but we have his early prototypes and such to back up his claim of invention. The next step is to prove a through line to the modern era.

The Sumerians knew geometry, trigonometry, and other advanced mathematics. That knowledge perished, and then the Greeks rediscovered things. The Greeks then get credit because their work is what paved the way for all of us today. The same would apply to Shockley. If Lilienfeld’s work didn’t make it to the USA in time to have had an effect on development in the valley, then it doesn’t really matter for the US industry.