Wilson was a great Scientist as well as having a great sense of what makes our Nation great. Science doesn't have to be put into pills or bombs in order to be of value.
Michael Faraday was once asked of what use Electricity could possibly be. He responded “of what use is a newborn baby?”. Some things have an intrinsic value in and of themselves, and Scientific knowledge is one of them.
When asked the same question by Parliament he told them ‘I have no idea what use Electricity will be put to, but no doubt some day you will tax it.’.
And after we've funded all the poets, painters, and sculptors who'd make the country worth defending, who'd have the millions left over to pay for a giant particle accelerator.
Wilson's comment reflects the arrogant 1960s "how can we afford not to spend the money" attitude that caused us so much trouble in those days.
I do notice that Wilson was an accomplished sculptor as well as a scientist.
But that also points to another fault in those 60s academics: they didn't have much understanding of what made most other people tick.
Pastore had the better part of the argument on this question.
Build the project or not -- but don't use highflown rhetoric to mock the concerns of ordinary taxpayers.