322 ORGANIZING SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH FOR WAR 



produce in large numbers. Yet there were cases where a Umited number of 

 devices put into use before the mass-produced type was available could be 

 of critical importance. This fact forced a further considerable expansion of 

 the OSRD program into the field of so-called "crash" procurement. As an 

 illustration there may be mentioned the equipment for blind bombing 

 through overcast. The Radiation Laboratory under OSRD auspices com- 

 pleted the research on and development of a device enabling bombers to 

 locate their targets through clouds and overcast which would make visual 

 bombing impossible. The armed services were enthusiastic about the equip- 

 ment and placed orders for substantial quantities. In the interval before the 

 first of the mass-produced pieces of equipment came of? the line, the Radia- 

 tion Laboratory under OSRD's direction produced twelve sets of equipment. 

 The use of these through the winter of 1 943-1 944 permitted a larger num- 

 ber of bombing missions and so added a sufficient increment to the damage 

 inflicted by the bombers to carry the bombing program over the hump 

 by inflicting serious damage on German industry from which it was not 

 permitted to recover. 



The growth in the program incident to the expansion of the NDRC and 

 OSRD fields of activities is indicated by the change in dollar volume of 

 operations. Thus the amount of money obligated by NDRC and OSRD 

 largely through contracts and through transfers of funds to Government 

 agencies for the several fiscal years was as follows: 



1940-1941 $ 6,161,691.00 



1941-1942 $ 39,626,839.97 



1942-1943 $142,454,422.35 



1943-1944 $162,513,597.74 



1944-1945 $167,473,101.09 



1 945-1 946 $ i7,854>3i5-33 



Total $536,083,967.48 



While the greater portion of this amount was spent for weapons within 

 the field of NDRC operations, $24,689,899.42 was devoted to medical re- 

 search, $13,041,037.57 to atomic energy (including $920,650.00 while NDRC 

 had jurisdiction of the subject) and approximately $26,400,000 to Section T 

 activities, mostly proximity fuzes for shells. The greater part of it was obli- 

 gated by contracts, which numbered 2515 on December 31, 1945, distributed 

 as follows: 



NDRC 1506 



CMR 568 



Atomic energy (where not included in NDRC) 102 



OFS (company contracts) 17 



OFS (personal service contracts) 237 



Section T 62 



