OFFICE OF FIELD SERVICE I37 



aid normally be made on an informal basis. Always with the approval of the 

 Army Commander, ORS devoted approximately half of its manpower re- 

 sources to problems of interest to these other agencies. At one time shordy 

 before the Japanese surrender, more than a third of the personnel attached 

 to ORS were in forward areas on temporary duty assigned to the Air 

 Forces. Most of the work accomplished with units of the Navy could not 

 receive official recognition and remains unreported. In several cases material 

 prepared by ORS members was written into Navy doctrine as operational 

 procedure. 



Development of OFS Headquarters in the Southwest Pacific 



At the end of March, 1944, Dr. George R. Harrison, Dean of Science at 

 M.I.T. and Chief of Division 16 of NDRC, was appointed an Assistant Chief 

 of OFS and departed for Brisbane, Australia, as the first head of what was 

 to be in eflfect a branch office of OFS in the Southwest Pacific, operating 

 within the military framework rather than as an independent agency like 

 the London Mission. The task of this OFS unit was to provide necessary 

 liaison with British military and civilian agencies centered in Australia; 

 to serve as an administrative center for travel and fiscal details and com- 

 munications of OFS personnel sent to the Southwest Pacific; to maintain 

 continuing liaison with the troops in forward areas and discover new prob- 

 lems in which OSRD scientists might help; to co-ordinate and supervise all 

 OFS missions to that theater; and to improve the flow of technical infor- 

 mation. 



Harrison succeeded in stimulating considerable interest in OSRD assist- 

 ance among the officers, and requests additional to those brought back by 

 Compton began to come in to Washington. In July 1944, Klopsteg succeeded 

 Harrison. He remained until October at which time Dr. H. K. Stephenson, 

 a Technical Aide in the Office, took over as Acting Chief, a position he 

 retained until the unit was deactivated at the end of hostilities. 



Activities of OFS Consultants who were processed through the Research 

 Section of the Southwest Pacific Area (General Mac Arthur's command) 

 were even more varied than were those of the Operational Research Section 

 at Oahu (Central Pacific Area, General Richardson's command). They in- 

 cluded a survey of the destructive action of marine borers; investigation of 

 insect infestation of Army food stores; a study of transportation bottlenecks 

 and equipment failures; work simplification to expedite handling of com- 

 munications traffic; research on immunization and treatment of malaria; 

 investigation of fungus infections of the skin; studies of wave propagation 

 in jungle and mountainous terrain; establishment of a group of radar spe- 

 cialists to co-operate with the Australians in constructing radar equipment 

 for ground control; a study of combat experience with smoke munitions, 



