250 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



The number of cases in which the information developed by an investi- 

 gation resulted in an adverse decision by OSRD was quite small. In all such 

 cases, the OSRD action was merely an instruction to the contractor not to 

 release classified information to the individual or to permit him to have 

 access to it. Whether the information developed by the investigation re- 

 quired any other action was a decision to be made by the investigative 

 agency and not by OSRD. 



A limiting factor on the ability of OSRD to expand the program of inves- 

 tigations was the size of the investigating staffs. Other agencies needed 

 investigations for the same reason OSRD needed them. The investigative 

 agencies were not, and in the nature of things could not be, staffed to handle 

 an unlimited number of investigations. The number of investigations con- 

 ducted for OSRD was in the neighborhood of 45,000 to 50,000. Any increase 

 in that number would probably have increased the time lag between the 

 submission of a request and the receipt of a report. Greater security might 

 have caused greater delay in getting results from OSRD operations. As 

 there were no known leaks of information from OSRD operations, OSRD 

 has a pragmatic justification for not having gone farther in its security pro- 

 gram. Whether less security would have been justified on the chance that 

 it might have speeded results might be a subject for speculation; although 

 there is no doubt that the measures adopted were conducive to the dis- 

 closure of large amounts of highly classified information to OSRD with 

 the assurance that it would be secure. 



The employment of aliens by contractors was covered by a provision in 

 OSRD classified contracts requiring the Contracting Officer's permission in 

 each case. The contractor was required to submit a specially prepared form 

 for each alien. The form was then submitted to the proper investigative 

 agency which in due course replied by indicating whether or not the alien 

 was eligible for employment on War and Navy Department classified con- 

 tracts. The decision was accepted by OSRD as equally controlling for 

 OSRD contracts. 



Classified Information 



As recounted in an earlier chapter, OSRD attempted to follow the Army 

 and Navy rules for handling classified information and in case of discrep- 

 ancy between them to observe the more restrictive. When NDRC was estab- 

 lished, the Army and Navy regulations recognized three security classifica- 

 tions which may be summarized as follows: (i) Secret: Documents, infor- 

 mation, or materiel, the unauthorized disclosure of which would endanger 

 national security, cause serious injury to the interests or prestige of the 

 nation, or any governmental activity thereof, or would be of great advan- 

 tage to a foreign nation. (2) Confidential: Documents, information, or 



