290 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



OSRD Committee on Publications 



Within OSRD the matter of dissemination of scientific information was 

 recognized as having the dual aspects of declassification and publication. 

 Without the first, the second was impossible; without the second, the first 

 would be only partially effective. As the problem involved all the divisions 

 of OSRD, Bush appointed a Committee on Publications on October 10, 



1944, consisting of Stewart as Chairman, Conant (NDRC), Richards 

 (CMR), Compton (OFS), Tuve (Section T), James P. Baxter, 3rd (OSRD 

 historian), and Carroll L. Wilson (Director's Office). Tuve shortly resigned 

 when the Section T program was transferred to the Navy; and in April 



1945, Stewart resigned because of the pressure of other duties. He was re- 

 placed by John E. Burchard, Deputy Chief, OFS, and at that time Chair- 

 man of the Joint Army-Navy-OSRD Committee on Scientific Information 

 Policy, a creation of the Secretaries of War and Navy and the Director 

 of OSRD. Norcross was made Secretary of the Committee. 



In establishing the Committee Bush instructed it (i) to co-ordinate the 

 activities of OSRD in connection with the common features of final reports 

 and publications, such as format, printing, distribution, and legal and fiscal 

 questions which might be involved, and to avoid undesirable duplication or 

 omissions; (2) to submit recommendations for over-all OSRD policy on 

 matters which should be so formalized, and (3) through its Chairman to 

 represent OSRD in dealing with other Government agencies in connection 

 with publication problems arising out of OSRD work. 



He pointed out that the results of the work done under the auspices of 

 OSRD should be accurately recorded, well indexed and organized for sub- 

 sequent use by those concerned with these matters in the future. Insofar as 

 possible the large body of scientific information developed in the course of 

 OSRD activities, which could be declassified, should be made available to 

 the public promptly and at reasonable cost. Furthermore, in addition to the 

 classified reports and information to be made public, the various divisions, 

 sections, panels and committees should record their best estimates of the 

 lines of future research and development in specific fields which were likely 

 to be most promising in application to improved weapons and materials, 

 and the advancement of military medicine. 



The problem of declassification, which was basic in the NDRC field, was 

 of minor importance in the CMR field. During the first year of OSRD, the 

 Secretaries of War and the Navy decided that in the fields of medical 

 research, publication of new knowledge should be withheld only if that 

 knowledge gave promise of conferring military advantage. It was possible, 

 therefore, to publish most of the newly developed knowledge in the medical 

 field and hundreds of articles were published. The amount of classified 



