PRIORITIES AND PROPERTY 237 



branch of WPB were convinced of the need. It was necessary to prepare 

 a complete story concerning the importance of the scarce item on a project, 

 but the advantage was that only one person had to be convinced of the 

 need. This procedure worked well for two months before it was withdrawn. 



Late in 1942 the WPB announced the Controlled Materials Plan (CMP), 

 which was to become operative on April i, 1943. This plan was, like all the 

 others, based on anticipating requirements for a number of months in ad- 

 vance, but it was different from other plans in that it was limited to copper, 

 steel and aluminum. It was believed that by parceling out the available 

 production of these basic metals during a certain period the entire produc- 

 tion picture could be brought into line. While the amounts of these mate- 

 rials needed by OSRD contractors was relatively small, it was necessary to 

 use CMP allotment symbols and numbers in ordering other materials so 

 that a definite procedure had to be established. OSRD was designated to be 

 one of the claimants under the War Department. The CMP remained 

 throughout the war and operated satisfactorily from the standpoint of 

 OSRD. 



Late in 1942 and early in 1943 it became increasingly apparent that the 

 lowered position of research at AA-3 in the priorities picture was resulting 

 in delays to the research program. Contractors found that many items were 

 unobtainable without an AA-i rating. This predicament was especially 

 serious in the electronics field where virtually every component or piece of 

 electrical testing apparatus had many willing buyers with AA-i ratings. At 

 the urging of OSRD the ANMB on April 30, 1943, issued a directive pro- 

 viding for AA-I ratings for the procurement of supplies and equipment for 

 research projects sponsored by the military and approved by the ANMB. 

 Under this procedure OSRD was authorized by ANMB to assign a rating 

 of AA-I for the procurement of materials by its contractors. Beginning in 

 May 1943, all prime priority certificates were issued directly to contractors 

 by the priorities and property control section over the signature of the Chief 

 of the section. After V-E Day the priorities system was again revised by 

 WPB and a rating of MM was substituted for AA-i for contracts of mili- 

 tary importance. OSRD was authorized by ANMB to use the MM rating 

 and it was assigned for use by a few contractors just prior to V-J Day. The 

 need for ratings diminished very rapidly after V-J Day and the MM rating 

 was used thereafter on a spot basis only to facilitate the completion of work 

 before contracts terminated. Under the blanket authorization from ANMB 

 ratings having a total dollar value of $102,000,000 were issued between May 

 1943 and October 1945. 



Coincident with the raising of war research programs to AA-i through 

 the ANMB was the revision of the WPB order covering priorities for labora- 

 tories in general. This order, P-43, as amended, provided a rating of AA-i 

 for qualifying laboratories under the order and AA-2 rating for all other 



