A few early papers are collected here (not easily available elsewhere).
G. B. Dantzig (1973).
On the need for a Systems Optimization Laboratory,
pp. 1-32 in
Mathematical Programming,
T. C. Hu and S. M. Robinson (Eds.),
Academic Press, New York and London.
This is the reference for the original single-author paper.
G. B. Dantzig, R. W. Cottle, B. C. Eaves, F. S. Hillier,
A. S. Manne, G. H. Golub, D. J. Wilde, and R. B. Wilson (1974).
On the need for a Systems Optimization Laboratory,
pp. 3-22 in
Optimization Methods for Resource Allocation
(Proc. NATO Conf., Elsinore, 1971),
R. W. Cottle and J. Krarup (Eds.),
English Universities Press, London.