l82 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



Subject to all the limitations and restrictions applicable to the acts of the 

 Director and under the general supervision and direction of the Director, the 

 Executive Secretary is authorized (i) to negotiate and enter into contracts and 

 supplements, amendments, modifications or extensions of contracts heretofore or 

 hereafter made in connection with the functions of the Office of Scientific Re- 

 search and Development and its officers, (ii) to approve or disapprove the form, 

 terms, and/or conditions of subcontracts under prime contracts of the Office of 

 Scientific Research and Development, (iii) to incur and release such obligations 

 and to settle such contract claims as may be necessary to accomplish such func- 

 tions. Provided, That settlement of all contract or subcontract termination claims 

 in excess of $25,000 shall be subject to the approval of the Office of Scientific Re- 

 search and Development Contract Settlement Review Board, (iv) to authorize 

 Office of Scientific Research and Development contractors to settle with sub- 

 contractors termination claims not exceeding $10,000, without further review by 

 the Government whenever the reliability of the contractor, the amount or nature 

 of the claim, or other reasons appear to justify such action, (v) to issue such 

 regulations as the Executive Secretary deems necessary to carry out the policies, 

 principles, methods, procedures, and standards prescribed by the Contract Settle- 

 ment Act of 1944 and the regulations issued thereunder by the Director of the 

 Office of Contract Settlement, (vi) to review and approve or disapprove in accord- 

 ance with the requirements of the General Accounting Office vouchers submitted 

 under contracts and all other types of vouchers, (vii) to authorize or approve 

 travel, use of extra-fare trains, superior Pullman accommodations, and seats in 

 sleeping or parlor cars for trips of two hours duration or less, and certify long 

 distance telephone calls in connection with such functions, (viii) acting as Con- 

 tracting Officer of the Office of Scientific Research and Development to designate 

 as his "authorized representatives" under contracts the appropriate officials, em- 

 ployees, or appointees of the Office of Scientific Research and Development or 

 officials, employees or appointees of other Government agencies who have been 

 detailed to the Office of Scientific Research and Development, (ix) to exercise the 

 powers and duties vested in the Director and/or the Office of Scientific Research 

 and Development by Appropriation Acts applicable to the Office of Scientific 

 Research and Development, the Surplus Property Act of 1944, the Contract Settle- 

 ment Act of 1944, Executive Order No. 9218, and all other applicable laws con- 

 cerning acquisition, use and disposition of property, (x) to effect transfers and 

 retransfers of funds, and (xi) to delegate any power or duty of the Executive 

 Secretary to such assistant or other official of the Office of Scientific Research and 

 Development as he may designate with the approval of the Director. 



From July 26, 1945, until the creation of the post of Deputy Director on 

 December 19, 1945, the order also provided that the Executive Secretary 

 should become Acting Director of OSRD in the absence of the Director 

 and of the Chairman of NDRC. 



There were four major divisions of the Administrative Office, the heads 

 of which reported to the Executive Secretary: administrative, patent, legal, 

 and personnel operations and management. To a considerable extent the 

 activities of these divisions, or of units within them, are part and parcel of the 



