140 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR ] 



Liaison in the Theaters | 



* i 



Although the basic liaison with the Services at home was generally ex- | 



cellent, there remained the problem of establishing good relations with the j 



theater commanders. In the European areas the matter was already well | 



taken care of by the OSRD Liaison Office. 



In the Central Pacific the problems of OFS organization and liaison 

 were relatively minor. The Operational Research Section had a clear stafi , 



position as a subsection of G-3. This made it possible for all branches of ^ 



the Army to request assistance easily. Effective working relations with 

 Air Forces and Navy were developed so that the section could serve all 

 elements of the command. Members of the "balanced team" could col- 

 laborate, could travel about in the theater without too much difficulty. In j 

 spite of minor disadvantages in its situation, the organizational pattern of j 

 this ORS became a model for effective placement of civilian scientists in 

 an operational command in the Pacific. ' 

 At first all communications except strictly personal letters had to pass I 

 through the hands of NDD and OFS for appropriate distribution. The j 

 resultant delays in handling the papers for clearance up through the chain ! 

 of command in the theater were incompatible with the urgency of the 

 matters discussed. The theater command recognized that this would im- 

 pair the efficiency of ORS. Accordingly, ORS was finally permitted to 

 transmit, without the usual staff consideration, "technical" letters direcdy i 

 to any civilian agency in the theater or on the mainland provided they 

 contained the statement, "This letter does not necessarily reflect the views 

 of the Commanding General," and that copies were sent concurrently for | 

 information to OFS and NDD. This procedure was eventually approved 

 also by the command in the Southwest Pacific. , 



In the Southwest Pacific the situation was vastly different. Greater dis- 

 tance from home bases, wider dispersal of forces and of the scientists aid- 

 ing them, longer and slower lines of communications, periodic remote- 

 ness of GHQ from the operating fronts, smaller supply of weapons and 

 of transportation, disagreeable climate and uncomfortable working condi- 

 tions, repeated shifting of headquarters — these were the difficulties un- 

 der which MacArthur's forces and the scientists sent to help them had to 

 labor for many months. It is not surprising that it took more than a year 

 of experimenting before the most effective way of setting up an OFS 

 group in the command was evolved. 



In July 1944 General Mac Arthur issued a clarifying directive which 

 established the OFS unit as the Research Section, General Headquarters, 

 Southwest Pacific Area, and broadened its responsibilities. It specified that 

 the section would serve as a liaison office for the ground, air and naval 



