I seem to recollect that the B747 design was part of a US government funded competition won by Lockheed.
It took 20 years for Boeing to pay off the R & D costs for the 747, so I don't think they had too much funding from the government. The current 767 tanker order on the other hand looks like it is just a subsidy in disguise. Read "Flying High" for a good history of Boeing. The author covers everything, good and bad, about the company.