276 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



dicate to the War and Navy Departments the categories of occupations in 

 which shortages detrimental to the national interest could be relieved by 

 release of men from the armed forces. OSRD was authorized to examine 

 all proposals by the committee relating to deferment of teachers, univer- 

 sity research workers, and students pursuing scientific courses, and to cer- 

 tify such persons for deferment in accordance with item (3). Any regis- 

 trant accepted by an accredited college or university as a candidate for a 

 master's or doctor's degree in the physical sciences or engineering might 

 be certified by OSRD to the Director of Selective Service as essential to 

 the national interest in a civilian capacity. The same was true of a regis- 

 trant employed by an accredited college or university as a teacher of physi- 

 cal sciences or engineering and also under certain conditions of a regis- 

 trant engaged in research in the physical sciences or engineering in an 

 accredited college or university. The last category of registrants who might 

 be so certified consisted of those who had satisfactorily completed at least 

 three years of work leading to a bachelor's degree in physical sciences or 

 engineering where the registrant had served for a period of not less than 

 two years on a project directly connected with the war effort. As of March 

 15, 1946, 928 registrants had been certified as essential to the national in- 

 terest in a civilian capacity in the foregoing categories which are defined 

 in more detail in Local Board Memorandum No. 115-M issued by the 

 Selective Service System. 



In summary it may be said that from the time of American entry into 

 the war until the cessation of hostilities, there was a series of crises with 

 respect to scientific and technical personnel of OSRD contractors. 



Taken by itself, however, the record was startlingly good. A total of 9725 

 employees of OSRD contractors were endorsed for deferment and of these 

 only 63 were inducted. This would seem to indicate that the Selective 

 Service System operated satisfactorily so far as OSRD requirements were 

 concerned. The figures do not reflect the constant effort required to main- 

 tain the staffs carrying vital programs nor the cost to over-all OSRD oper- 

 ations of the amount of time which had to be devoted to Selective Service 

 problems. 



The problem of scientific personnel within OSRD was only a part, al- 

 though an important part, of the total problem of the handling of scientific 

 manpower in World War II. The outstanding fact from OSRD experi- 

 ence supported by observations in other fields is that at no time during 

 the war did methods of dealing with the problem of scientific manpower 

 reach a stage which could be offered as a model for any future emergency. 

 In the nature of the case, this fact had to be expected; everyone involved 

 was pressing to get on with the war, with the single motive of finishing 

 it successfully and early. But no one — not even the scientists, who were 



