76 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



troduction of engineers from producers satisfactory to the Services and to 

 OSRD into tlie laboratories before the completion of research, so that the 

 education of the producers might begin at an early stage; (5) assist in 

 shortening the period between the satisfactory completion of tests and 

 the placing of contracts by the Services, and (6) co-operate in arranging 

 for the rapid hand production of limited quantities. 



During most of 1942, the Transition Office served primarily in a staff 

 capacity as an advisory and fact-finding agency in OSRD, with most of 

 its work in the electronics field. Facility surveys, establishment of pro- 

 cedures with Army and Navy procurement offices for the placement of 

 OSRD educational orders for radar equipment, and maintaining current 

 information on critical materials for circular distribution in OSRD con- 

 sumed most of the available man-hours. 



In the middle of July, 1942, the Transition Office was transferred from 

 the Director's Office to the Office of the Chairman of NDRC under 

 Moreland as Executive Officer and an Engineering Office headed by 

 F. T. Letchfield was created under the same authority. In the NDRC 

 reorganization of December 1942, the Transition Office continued under 

 Gordon and an Engineering Panel was established under Letchfield. The 

 Engineering Panel consisted of appointees by the NDRC divisions from 

 their own personnel. The Panel held a few meetings, but the heavy load 

 of their own specific problems which its members were already carrying 

 prevented its becoming a fully effective operating organization. 



The general instructions to NDRC personnel, divisions, and panels 

 issued on November 23, 1942, stated that the Transition Office should be 

 consulted on all matters relating to the production on a small or large scale, 

 or on planning for such production, of devices or materials developed under 

 NDRC, with consultation to be inaugurated when research reached the 

 point that a successful result appeared probable. While this established 

 the position of the Office on all matters regarding production under 

 NDRC auspices, lack of sufficient personnel prevented its covering the 

 entire field. 



During this period, individuals in the Transition Office were set up as 

 specialists, each having specific cognizance of groups of loosely related 

 fields of activity. At the appropriate time, the facilities of the Office were 

 offered to assist in Service relations, selection of facilities, supervision of 

 contract, and provision of materials, priorities, etc., for the specific job. 



In March 1943, Gordon resigned on urgent demand for his return to 

 the organization which had loaned his services originally. R. J. Woodrow 

 was appointed Deputy Chief of the Transition Office and assumed its 

 administration for several critical months. In November 1943, Paul A. 

 Scherer became Chief of the combined Engineering and Transition Office, 

 and the Engineering Panel was abolished. The activities of the Office, other 



