LIAISON WITH ALLIED GOVERNMENTS Vf] 



made extensive visits to the various research estabHshments studying radar. 

 They also reached agreement on the co-ordination of radar research pro- 

 grams with pohcy-making officials within the several Ministries. Besides 

 the general policy decisions, another important development due to this 

 visit was the establishment of British branches of American radar labora- 

 tories. 



The members of the Compton Mission were convinced that research in 

 the field of radar required that a research group be located close to the 

 source of operational information, in this case the operating Air Force. The 

 needs of the British offensive bombing groups and their defensive fighter 

 squadrons were undergoing rapid and frequently unexpected changes. By 

 having a close link between these operating groups and the scientists and 

 technicians working on their problems, it would be possible to meet new 

 changes in enemy tactics with greater speed, and changes in priority of 

 research could be effected on short notice. Furthermore, the information 

 concerning enemy jamming techniques and their effectiveness was held in 

 extremely high security classification. This increased the difficulties in trans- 

 mitting such information through a number of channels across the Atlan- 

 tic to research facilities in America. In Great Britain, on the other hand, this 

 information could be discussed between representatives of the operational 

 groups and the scientific staffs, frequently before any written reports were 

 prepared. The only practical method of effective co-ordination of the re- 

 search programs on radar countermeasures as far as the OSRD was con- 

 cerned was the establishment of an OSRD-sponsored group in Great Brit- 

 ain. By the spring of 1942, Great Britain had also become a base for 

 American bombing forces, and the size of these forces was increasing con- 

 stantly. These Air Forces needed a nearby technical group to which they 

 could refer urgent problems. 



It was decided that a laboratory on radar countermeasures could best be 

 established in connection with the Division 15 countermeasures contract 

 with Harvard University. A comparable branch was established for opera- 

 tions in the general field of radar under the OSRD contract with M.I.T. 

 for the creation and operation of the Radiation Laboratory. The British 

 made facilities available for both branch laboratories near the Telecom- 

 munications Research Establishment at Great Malvern. The American Air 

 Forces used the facilities of the laboratories to capacity. The contribution 

 which the laboratories made to the operations of the Air Forces in Europe 

 and to the exchange of radar information with the British was tremendous. 



The Shift in London Mission Activities 



In the winter of 1943-1944, the load of the OSRD Mission in London 

 reached its peak and the staff reached its maximum size. By spring, 1944, 



