Part Two: Liaison 



CHAPTER X 



LIAISON WITH THE ARMED SERVICES 



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.HE National Defense Research Committee and, later, the 

 Office of Scientific Research and Development were created to mobilize the 

 scientific strength of the country for the purpose of assisting the Army and 

 Navy. Close relationship with the Services, therefore, was imperative to 

 define the needs of the forces and to assure that the final output should 

 meet the need for which a project was initiated. It was needed to avoid 

 duplication of facilities and of effort, and to speed the work from initiation 

 toward the final stage of placing the equipment in the hands of the troops. 

 Outstanding was the requirement that the relationship should be such as to 

 provide for complete interchange of information. To meet such require- 

 ments meant that a system of teamwork — novel because of the full stature 

 to which its military implications had brought science — had to be estab- 

 lished; scientific men and military men had to learn to work as partners. 

 That this novel problem was generally solved with full effectiveness is clear 

 from the results which were achieved. There were defects at first, as was 

 to be expected, for the problem was a new one and methods for working 

 it out had to be developed. If in the recital of the history of that develop- 

 ment places where defects lingered are cited, that is to indicate where a still 

 better job could be done another time. 



MECHANISM OF LIAISON 



The mechanism of liaison with the Services included the Advisory Coun- 

 cil of OSRD, already discussed. Liaison in the medical area and in field 

 service operations was discussed in the chapters on the Committee on Medi- 

 cal Research and the Office of Field Service. The present chapter will be 

 confined to liaison relations between NDRC and the Services in the field 

 of weapon development. 



War and Navy Department Liaison Officers 



The most direct contacts between NDRC and the Services were through 

 the Army and Navy members of the Committee and through the activities 



