NDRC OF OSRD: THE CHAIRMAn's OFFICE 75 



production by hand methods of specific devices as they were evolved. 

 Where possible, such suggestions were to be accompanied by recommenda- 

 tions as to satisfactory contractors. In turn, the Army and Navy proposed 

 to set up special procedures for contracting for such equipment. It was not 

 intended that the usual orderly production of the same equipment should 

 be in any way affected. The material obtained under the few-quick was 

 intended as a stopgap to fill in before completely engineered materials be- 

 came available by production methods. 



The few-quick organization got ofl to a flying start with assurances of 

 co-operation from Division Chiefs, Army, Navy, and WPB. The ground- 

 work consisted of surveying and setting up a file on facilities and personnel 

 of small organizations of all sorts distributed about the country. Informal 

 contact was established with OSRD division, section, and laboratory per- 

 sonnel for the purpose of learning of developments at or near the completion 

 stage. Recommendations of few-quick production facilities were offered 

 them and the Services, together with any co-operation desired in establish- 

 ing a suitable contact and prosecution of the actual construction of the 

 devices. 



Failure of the Services to set up the special procedures immediately re- 

 sulted in OSRD undertaking to procure limited quantities of the new 

 devices. A basic flaw in the scheme of operation soon became apparent. 

 It was that physical duplication of the laboratory model of a device does 

 not necessarily assure duplication of laboratory performance; in addition, 

 extensive modifications of an engineering nature were sometimes necessary 

 to enable the equipment to perform under other than laboratory conditions. 

 Correction of this flaw entailed a change of concept for the few-quick opera- 

 tion, shifting the emphasis to procurement of engineering abiUties as well 

 as model shop facilities. Through close co-operation with the various tech- 

 nical, procuring, and using branches of the Services, a plan was set up 

 whereby preproduction engineering and model shop production under 

 the auspices of OSRD were followed, or possibly overlapped, by Service 

 procurement at the same source. The "crash programs," in which OSRD 

 during a later phase of the war served as a procurement agency for the 

 armed forces in having equipment produced on time schedules otherwise 

 impossible, were based on these principles. 



At Bush's request Root made another survey of the transition function 

 in March 1942. Following Root's report. Bush in April 1942 created a 

 "Transition Office" under Gordon, reporting directly to him, which was to: 

 (i) inform itself as to the available facilities for the production of materials 

 or devices developed under OSRD auspices; (2) collect information re- 

 garding the status with respect to production of various OSRD research 

 projects; (3) endeavor to obviate unnecessary overcrowding of particular 

 facilities for engineering design and production; (4) arrange for the in- 



