PUBLICITY, PUBLIC RELATIONS AND PUBLICATIONS 297 



classification by broad fields of research. When these had been received, and 

 the declassification approved they were to be translated into terms of projects, 

 contracts and reports. Initial recommendations for the declassification of 

 certain fields were transmitted to the Army and Navy on September 25, 

 1945. The War Department Liaison Officer with NDRC promptly replied 

 that his office was proceeding upon the basis of a reclassification by Army 

 projects. Immediately thereafter, OSRD began to receive lists of projects for 

 reclassification. The Navy, however, withheld its concurrence to the program. 



A meeting on November 8, 1945, of representatives of the Army, Navy, 

 and OSRD outlined a procedure for declassification which contemplated 

 that the Services would indicate fields of OSRD information which might 

 be declassified, either in general terms with specific exceptions noted, or by 

 Service projects. The Services, NDRC, or the Publication Board might 

 initiate requests for declassification of specific reports. It was indicated, 

 however, that NDRC would expect to use this latter system only in unusual 

 cases. The Army gave approval to the proposed procedure with a few 

 minor changes. The Navy expressed agreement with the procedure in prin- 

 ciple, but imposed such strict limitations and restrictions that there seemed 

 to be little likelihood that much real progress toward declassification could 

 be made. 



In practice, upon receipt of the Army's declassification of individual 

 projects, the information was transmitted to the Division Chiefs by the 

 project control section with the request that appropriate recommendations 

 with respect to the declassification of related contracts and reports be sub- 

 mitted. The transmittal letter reminded the divisions of possible Navy 

 interest in the declassified subject matter and cautioned against recom- 

 mendations which would involve Navy projects not yet declassified. On the 

 basis of the replies received from the divisions, a considerable number of 

 contracts and reports were declassified. 



While OSRD was proceeding with the declassification of Army projects 

 and related contracts and reports, the Navy proceeded with the declassifi- 

 cation of several lengthy lists of OSRD reports without reference to the 

 related contracts or projects. Upon receipt of the Navy's recommendations, 

 OSRD declassified the reports. The fact that two different bases for de- 

 classification were used operated against an orderly program of declassifica- 

 tion. In particular, the difference in the timing of the Army and Navy 

 recommendations created gaps which were difficult to fill, in view of the 

 rapid termination of NDRC divisions. The final task of reconciling the 

 various recommendations and assigning proper classification to each project, 

 contract, and report was a large one both for the divisions involved and 

 the Administrative Office, with which they were still struggling when this 

 was being written. 



Information regarding OSRD material which had been declassified was 



