62 



ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



mendations to the Chairman of NDRC as to the organization of their 

 respective divisions. The recommendations would cover the number and 

 scope of sections into which it was proposed to divide the work of the divi- 

 sion. Personnel of the division would be made up of Section Chiefs as 

 ex officio members and members at large appointed upon the recommenda- 

 tions of the Division Chief. The persons addressed were requested to proceed 

 informally in order to be able to move promptly with the establishment of 

 the new organization as soon as formal approval should be forthcoming. 

 On November lo, Bush sent Conant a long letter of interpretation of the 

 NDRC action. In it he indicated that he was prepared to work with Conant 

 in steps to strengthen the Chairman's Office by adding to it a number of 

 persons charged with the duty of closely following the affairs of groups of 

 divisions. At the same time he gave his approval of the proposed reorganiza- 

 tion to take effect at a future date when the stage had been set for it. 



At its meeting on November 20, 1942, the Committee proceeded a step 

 further in the reorganization by adopting principles of procedure to be 

 followed after the reorganization was complete. Those principles recited 

 that the Committee would meet every Friday. Reviewing subcommittees 

 were appointed for each division and panel. Each reviewing subcommittee 

 consisted of three members of the NDRC (later increased to four for some 

 divisions). Divisions and sections were instructed to notify members of the 

 appropriate subcommittees of all meetings, tests and demonstrations so 

 that the members might attend such meetings as far as possible and thus 

 keep in close touch with the activities of the division. Each reviewing sub- 

 committee was directed to report at least twice a year on the activities of 

 the division under review and in addition to make such brief reports from 

 time to time as it might deem appropriate. At the meeting at which the 

 reviewing subcommittee made its semiannual report, the Division Chief 

 was also to report at length outlining the program he proposed for the 

 division for the next six months together with a tentative budget. NDRC 

 would approve the program as presented or with suitable modifications 

 with the understanding that the approval was in principle only and that 

 details of the budget would not be binding upon either the Committee or 

 the division. In connection with each contract proposal, the Chairman's 

 Office was instructed to report whether the proposed contract was a part 

 of the program already approved by the Committee. In those cases in 

 which the contracts were a part of the approved program, it was antici- 

 pated that no detailed discussion would be necessary in the absence of a 

 specific request by a member of the Committee for such discussion. Each 

 contract proposal for more than $20,000 involving a substantial departure 

 from the approved program and total budget would be given special con- 

 sideration with the Division Chief normally expected to appear before the 

 Committee to explain the proposal. In order that they might be fully in- 



