312 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



OSRD desired to abandon or transfer to other Government agencies might 

 be treated as suggested by Bush under the general poHcy outUned by the 

 President. He asked that a detailed analysis of the proposals be submit- 

 ted to the Director of the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion 

 (OWMR) v^^ith the expectation that OWMR and OSRD could agree as 

 to many of the dispositions which Bush proposed. 



Following the President's letter, John W. Snyder, Director of OWMR, 

 designated one of his aides, James R. Newman, to discuss the demobiliza- 

 tion program with OSRD. Newman met with NDRC on August 24, 1945, 

 at which time there was a thorough discussion of the actual status of the 

 NDRC program, in which the Committee emphasized that due to the 

 shortage of scientific manpower its program for months had been concen- 

 trated upon the later stages of weapon development to such an extent that 

 only a bare minimum of fundamental research of the type which a research 

 foundation would wish to support remained. The Committee adopted the 

 following four categories of NDRC-recommended OSRD contracts for 

 purposes of termination: 



A. Basic research of such nature as to fall properly within the scope of a peacetime 

 governmental research agency supplementing the work of the Services on 

 military research. Specific fields shall be described in connection with division 

 programs. Continue under NDRC until taken over by permanent agency or 

 other disposition is determined. 



B. Research or development projects essentially completed where limited further 

 work will permit completion and preservation of values. Continue as deter- 

 mined in each case but not beyond December 31, 1945, and generally not be- 

 yond October 31, 1945. 



C. Research or development projects of long-range significance, generally con- 

 cerned with specific weapons, which the Services may wish to take over and 

 continue in Service laboratories or under contract. Continue to give reasonable 

 oppormnity to complete arrangements for transfer, but generally not beyond 

 October 31, 1945. 



D. Development work on specific devices or weapons not having long-range im- 

 plications, servicing new weapons, and aid to the Services on current military 

 problems. Terminate promptly with every effort to complete final technical 

 reports by September 30, 1945. Continuation beyond that date to be authorized 

 only in special cases to permit completion of technical reports. 



Davidson and Stewart were authorized to classify the various contracts 

 into the four approved categories in consultation with the Division and 

 Panel Chiefs concerned. Davidson immediately got in touch with the 

 Division Chiefs by telephone and telegraph and an initial listing of con- 

 tracts was submitted to the Director on August 28, 1945. Following the 

 Director's approval of the division of contracts among the several classi- 

 fications, Davidson and Stewart discussed the schedules with Newman 



