314 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



of CMR prior to the end of the war with Japan or even prior to the expira- 

 tion of six months after the conclusion of that war if that should be nec- 

 essary. The transfer of large masses of troops from the European to the 

 Asiatic theater would add to the medical load, and the War Department 

 did not have the organization nor the manpower to administer contracts 

 as the CMR had done. Dyer expressed the view that the Committee should 

 continue to the end of the war, but he indicated that there would be no 

 legal obstacle to the transfer to the Public Health Service at the proper 

 time of projects appropriate to its functioning. The members of the Com- 

 mittee were in agreement as to the importance of the establishment of 

 some Government agency for dealing with problems of postwar medical 

 research. 



Under date of August 29, Dyer wrote Richards at considerable length 

 outlining the manner in which Public Health Service could take over 

 projects in its field from CMR and administer them through an organ- 

 ization which would have the flexibility of the CMR organization and to 

 a considerable extent might draw upon the same personnel as CMR. This 

 letter was communicated to CMR at its meeting on August 31. 



By a memorandum to Richards on September 18, 1944, Bush requested 

 him to begin the formulation of plans for the termination or transfer of 

 work being carried on under CMR auspices. He referred specifically to 

 the letter sent by Dyer to Richards on August 29. 



At its meeting on September 21, 1944, CMR discussed at some length 

 Bush's memorandum of September 13, on demobilization. Division Chiefs 

 were instructed to present their recommendations with respect to the 

 allocation of CMR contracts among the categories laid down in the Bush 

 memorandum. It was the general feeling of the Committee that plans 

 should be made which would permit it to go out of existence as soon 

 after the end of the war with Germany as arrangements could be made 

 for the effective transfer of important contracts to other agencies. 



With the adverse turn of events marked by the beginning of the Bat- 

 de of the Bulge, Richards sought further guidance from Bush, which 

 was forthcoming in a letter of December 20, 1944, in which Bush men- 

 tioned briefly the various proposals which had been made for a postwar 

 health program. He reaffirmed that OSRD would continue to exert its 

 full energy as long as the war in Europe lasted and that after the collapse 

 of Germany it would continue such efforts as might be needed for the 

 effective prosecution of the war against Japan. In general, the CMR pro- 

 gram should be to continue military research needed specifically in the 

 conduct of the present war, while at the same time steps should be taken 

 to facilitate its gradual transition into peacetime arrangements at an ap- 

 propriate time. Following consideration of this letter at the meeting on 

 January 18, 1945, the Committee instructed the Division Chiefs that they 



