OFFICE OF FIELD SERVICE I49 



There was considerable reluctance on the part of the War Department 

 to issue appointments carrying assimilated ranks higher than Colonel. 

 However, late in the war, when greater confidence was felt in the OSRD 

 civilians, a few higher appointments were authorized. When Compton 

 and Moreland went to the Southwest Pacific, just before V-J Day, each 

 carried the assimilated rank of Major General. 



In order to get a civilian scientist into an operating theater, priority for 

 his travel had to be established by the theater. If a request from the theater 

 for men to staff a particular project had been received in general terms, 

 OFS went about the necessary recruiting and when it had secured appro- 

 priate candidates who would presumably be accepted by the theater, their 

 processing started. A communication naming them was forwarded to the 

 theater so that the official theater request and travel priority could be 

 established. One of the aggravating delays in processing occurred fre- 

 quently when a theater asked for an individual but failed to establish a 

 travel priority. In the Pacific, where OFS had its advanced headquarters, 

 the communications were channeled through the OFS scientists in the 

 theater who took the responsibility for following up, initiating and expedit- 

 ing the necessary military action, so that such oversights were reduced. 



Status of the Field Service Consultant in the Theater 



One advantage of the OFS system for sending personnel out on missions 

 was that they were sent as representatives of a high echelon office such as 

 the New Developments Division to report to GHQ and to be attached at 

 staff level to the command. They might be detailed to work directly with 

 the officers and enlisted men of a lower echelon, but they had immediate 

 access in the theater across channels to an authoritative body in the Serv- 

 ice and through it to a high level in Washington. This meant that they 

 were unlikely to get trapped in low priority work, that their communi- 

 cations could get through promptly and would carry appropriate weight 

 and that they could move about more freely in the theater. 



The scientist who went to any theater outside the United States was 

 responsible during his stay only to the Commanding Officer, was subject 

 to military discipline and etiquette and was entirely dependent on the co- 

 operation of the Commanding Officer to provide billeting, transportation, 

 communications facilities and permission to leave the theater. He was ex- 

 pected to conduct his correspondence as would an officer, censoring his own 

 personal mail but honor bound to keep it personal, enjoying the privilege 

 of freedom from postage. His official communications went through the 

 appropriate office of the theater staff after review by the officer to whom he 

 was directly responsible, thence through the theater AGO to the Service 

 liaison office at home. This office forwarded his communications to OFS 



