260 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



would not have within it the seeds of a possible disruption of parts of the 

 OSRD research and development program. The conclusions of the study 

 were embodied in a circular of March 6, 1943, which stated that salaries 

 fixed in good faith by one or more of the following methods should meet 

 the test of reasonableness: individual bargaining, objectively (categories of 

 positions carrying established salary schedules), comparatively (where there 

 were more or less well established rates in the locality), and subjectively 

 (considering present earnings of a prospective employee). Differences in 

 living costs were recognized as being entitled to consideration in the case 

 of men called upon to change their places of residence in order to take 

 employment on a project. 



Reserve Officers 



In October 1940, NDRC became acutely aware of the fact that a few 

 appointees and a larger number of employees of NDRC contractors were 

 holding reserve commissions in the Army or the Navy. The primary value 

 of the reserve military organization lay in its immediate availability in an 

 emergency. The War Department quite properly recognized only a single 

 valid reason for excusing a man from the obligations assumed when he 

 became a reserve officer, namely that he could render greater service to 

 the Nation in his civilian status. Accordingly, the Department established 

 a Reserve Pool in which reserve officers who were key men in industries 

 related to national defense and whose retention as key men was absolutely 

 necessary might be placed. The Department reserved the right to approve 

 or disapprove the request that an officer be assigned to the Reserve Pool 

 and to return him to eligible status whenever it deemed necessary. An 

 officer in the Reserve Pool was not eligible for promotion, assignment or 

 active duty. 



The position taken by Bush was that the armed services were best able 

 to judge whether a reserve officer would be of greatest use in the emer- 

 gency as an officer or in a civilian capacity. Accordingly the only action 

 which NRDC took with reference to deferring the calling of reserve offi- 

 cers to active duty was to bring to the attention of the appropriate Service 

 pertinent information which should be considered by it in determining 

 whether or not to issue the call. 



In addition to the Reserve Pool the Army had another procedure for 

 effecting temporary deferment of reserve officers. This was applicable in 

 cases where only a short time was needed to permit the reserve officer to 

 complete a particular important assignment. It involved placing the name 

 of the officer as far down on the list of available reserve officers in a par- 

 ticular corps area as would be sufficient in the opinion of the command to 

 provide the requested deferment. This did not automatically assure the 



