302 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



Group I 



1. Projects which should be terminated after the defeat of Germany because there 

 is neither a reasonable probability of their being usable against Japan (Group 2) 

 nor are they of long-range continuing interest to the Services (Group 3). These 

 should be immediately placed on a schedule of termination which will preserve 

 values already attained, and provide for the rendering of final reports. 



Group 2 



2. Projects rated by the Services (and the rating reviewed by NDRC) as having 

 an intrinsic value for use against Japan. These should be subdivided further into: 



(a) Those in which OSRD laboratory development can be completed in 3-4 

 months (or in exceptional circumstances 5-6 months). Such projects 

 should be completed as rapidly as possible under existing OSRD arrange- 

 ments, (b) Those in which OSRD laboratory development will require 

 more than 3-4 months to complete. Such projects should be transferred 

 to the interested Service. 



Group 3 



3. Projects (other than 2 above) rated by the Services as of sufficiently great 

 importance to be classified as urgent, long-range, continuing, peacetime devel- 

 opments and which the Services are prepared to continue into the peace on some 

 scale either by contract or within Service laboratories. Such projects should be 

 transferred to the interested Service or to other postwar military research agencies. 



The memorandum stated that after the defeat of Germany NDRC should 

 recommend new projects, or the extension of existing ones, only in order 

 to complete approved schedules of termination, or in cases where it could 

 be clearly shown that a definite result could be obtained in the war against 

 Japan under OSRD contract, which could not be obtained by direct Service 

 contract. 



CMR projects were placed in a slightly different category inasmuch as 

 the need for medical work would continue after the end of the fighting. 

 The time lag between the research on a new weapon and its introduction 

 into combat made a reduction of research activity a logical step when the 

 end of a war was approaching. There need be no such delay in the intro- 

 duction of a new method of treatment of disease. CMR projects were to be 

 classified according to the same schedule as NDRC projects, but it was 

 anticipated that more time would be given to the termination of CMR 

 work, a considerable proportion of which might effectively be taken over 

 by the armed services and the Public Health Service. 



The memorandum of September 13 recited that Bush had requested 

 NDRC to supply him at an early date with a list showing the assignment 

 of NDRC projects among the preceding groups and with the termination 

 plans and schedules of each division and panel. These programs were to be 

 prepared on the basis of discussion between OSRD personnel and Service 



