82 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



the controversy over the relative urgency of various projects was waged. 

 The normal tendency of each man to assign top urgency to the problem 

 upon which he is engaged was true of Technical Aides following different 

 aspects of the same general program; it was even more true of the Army 

 and Navy Liaison Officers when their projects were in competition for the 

 same manpower. The monthly divisional meetings afforded opportunity for 

 periodic review of urgency ratings and contributed to keeping attention 

 focussed on problems of greatest urgency. 



One important function of the division was the preparation of the divi- 

 sional budgets which were reviewed by the NDRC and, as modified, became 

 the basis of the NDRC portion of the OSRD budget. These budgets were 

 prepared at six-month intervals and they required an assessment of the 

 projects under way as well as those which might reasonably be expected 

 within the next budget period. 



The main work of a division was done between meetings. Divisional 

 staffs varied in size, with each Chief being given as much technical assist- 

 ance as he required, within the limits imposed by the shortage of scientific 

 manpower. Some divisional programs were carried out through large central 

 laboratory contracts with a few smaller supporting contracts; others involved 

 many widely scattered contracts. The type of divisional organization varied 

 with the type of work done by the division. Some divisions had no sections, 

 with all programs being reviewed by the entire division membership. Others 

 had sections with varying amounts of autonomy. Where there were sections, 

 the statements made about divisional activity apply as well to the activity 

 of the sections. Close supervision of contracts was a function of the section 

 concerned, although the division meeting afforded an opportunity for the 

 division members to review sectional programs at length. 



The first contact with a potential contractor was usually made by the 

 Division Chief, accompanied by the Technical Aide who would be assigned 

 to the immediate supervision of the contract if one were to be written. 

 This contact was normally with the research director in the case of an in- 

 dustrial establishment or the appropriate department head in the case of 

 an academic institution; he might be accompanied by one or more technical 

 people who would be involved in the research program. The OSRD repre- 

 sentative would outline the desired program and the reasons for its urgency. 

 In the later days of OSRD operations when scientific manpower was at a 

 premium, the real job was to convince the research director that the pro- 

 posed program was more important than some of the things his staff was 

 presently engaged upon. When agreement had been reached to proceed 

 with the program, various persons familiar with the problem were brought 

 into the discussion, and the program was planned jointly by divisional and 

 contractor's personnel. The contractor's monthly progress reports, supple- 

 mented by visits to the plants by the Technical Aide and occasionally the 



