OFFICE OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 4I 



purposes to transfer such funds to OSRD. This and succeeding appropria- 

 tion acts also authorized OSRD to pay varying sums to the National 

 Academy of Sciences for administrative and overhead expenses incurred 

 by the Academy in carrying out research projects for Federal agencies. 

 These payments were a material factor in enabling the Academy to meet 

 the numerous calls upon it during the war years. 



Authority to agree to indemnify OSRD contractors from funds later to 

 be appropriated for the purpose, against loss or damage to persons or prop- 

 erty arising from OSRD work was conferred by the First Supplemental 

 National Defense Appropriation Act, 1943, approved July 25, 1942. This 

 authority was useful in persuading academic contractors to undertake ex- 

 ceptionally hazardous work; but fortunately it never became necessary to 

 seek any appropriations under this provision. 



Additional authority was conferred by the National War Agencies Appro- 

 priation Act, 1944, approved July 12, 1943. The authority to employ tech- 

 nical personnel by contract without regard to civil service or classification 

 laws paved the way for the operation of the Office of Field Service; and in 

 accordance with a statement made in connection with the request for the 

 authority, it was used only for that purpose. Another provision authorized 

 the Director to dispose of personal property of all kinds produced or ac- 

 quired in connection with the performance of contracts under such terms 

 and conditions as he might deem advisable, the principal restriction being 

 that receipts from disposition to nongovernmental agencies should be covered 

 into the Treasury as miscellaneous receipts. This broad power was the basis 

 for the rapid shifting of equipment and components to places where they 

 were most needed in the completion of critical projects. 



Several Administrative Orders were issued by the Director pursuant to 

 the authority contained in Executive Order No. 8807. Administrative Order 

 No. I was approved by the President on August 20, 1941, to give the presi- 

 dential approval required by Paragraph 3 of the Executive Order to the 

 establishment of the principal subdivisions of OSRD. They were the Na- 

 tional Defense Research Committee with Conant as Chairman; the Commit- 

 tee on Medical Research with A. N. Richards (Vice-President in charge of 

 Medical Affairs, University of Pennsylvania, pharmacologist) as Chairman; 

 the Administrative Office under Stewart as Executive Secretary, and the 

 Liaison Office under Carroll L. Wilson as Senior Liaison Officer. NDRC 

 and CMR were charged with advising the Director as specified in the 

 executive order and with supervising the performance of research in their 

 respective fields; and the Liaison Office with conducting scientific liaison 

 with countries the defense of which the President had deemed vital to the 

 defense of the United States under the terms of the Act of March 11, 1941, 

 entitled "An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States." The chart 

 accompanying the order also carried the four divisions of NDRC: Division 



