<:oNTK\CTS VM> PROJECTS 



II 



members visited the various investigating agencies 

 to correlate the work when necessary, obtain first- 

 hand information of the special aspects under investi- 

 gation, or suggesl a line of attack. Such visits are 

 described in ( Ihapter 3. 



:;.:! 



CONTRACTS AM) PROJECTS 



The entire organization and work of the Committee 

 was carried on under the auspices of Army and Navy 

 Project AN-10, pursuant to a recommendation of 

 the Combined Meteorological Committee [CMC] of 

 the Combined Chiefs of Staff, dated December 7, 

 1943. This recommendation was made to the National 

 Defense Research Committee in response to a request 

 by the Combined Chiefs of Staff dated December 4, 

 1943 and channeled jointly through the War Depart- 

 ment Liaison Officer and the Coordinator of Research 

 and Development. The Combined Chiefs of Staff 

 asked specifically that : 



1. The Committee on Propagation of NDRC be 

 requested to act as a coordinating agency for all 

 meteorological information associated with short 

 wave propagation. 



2. The Committee on Propagation be requested 

 to forward periodically to the CMC a list of all 

 reports and papers dealing with the meteorological 

 aspects of short wave propagation which have been 

 received or transmitted by that Committee. 



Originally contracts arranged with various agen- 

 cies for research into propagation phenomena were 

 handled through the contract machinery of the 

 appropriate division of NDRC, specific recommen- 

 dations for the terms of the contract being drawn 

 up by the Committee. 



The NDRC later changed the manner of arranging 

 contracts of the Committee on Propagation so that 

 the Committee would recommend, and assume direct 

 responsibility for, the contracts. At the same time 

 the contracts that had already been let by Divisions 

 13, 14, and 15 involving radio wave propagation 

 were transferred to the Committee on Propagation. 

 Such further extensions to these contracts as were 

 required were arranged and recommended by the 

 Committee on Propagation. 



Contract OEMsr-1207, let for the Committee, 

 with Columbia University through the contract 

 machinery of Division 14, was active from Novem- 

 ber 1, 1943 to October 31, 1945. This contract was 

 for collecting, analyzing, and integrating data on 



radio and radar wave propagation. Under its terms 

 the CUDWK set up a Wave Propagation Croup, 

 directed by Professor S. S. Attwood, who had served 

 on the Committee while that, body was a part of 

 Division 14. This group consisted of a scientific staff 

 and stenographic and clerical personnel, and it 

 handled the work described above, as well as periodic 

 publication of reports for distribution according to 

 a list approved by the NDRC chairman's office. 



Contract OEMsr-728, with the State College of 

 Washington, which was originally let through 

 Division 14 and taken over by the Committee on 

 Propagation after its formation, terminated on 

 October 31, 1945. Work under this contract was 

 under the direction of Dr. Paul A. Anderson of this 

 college. The contract was a general one for the 

 purpose of "carrying on experimental and analytical 

 investigations in connection with the study of micro- 

 wave propagation." The first research conducted 

 under its terms was a study of propagation along an 

 overland path in the Pacific Northwest, where 

 climatic and topographical conditions differed from 

 those at San Diego and on the East Coast. 



Another project under this contract was the 

 development of a portable low-level sounding instru- 

 ment for measuring temperature and humidity gradi- 

 ents in the lower atmosphere. Subsequently this 

 apparatus was adopted by the U. S. Navy and several 

 other United Nations military and scientific agencies. 



Production of an improved model of this equip- 

 ment was also carried out, with subsequent deliveries 

 to the Army Air Forces [AAF], the Naval Research 

 Laboratory [NRL], the Department of Scientific and 

 Industrial Research in New Zealand, and to Dr. Paul 

 C. T. Kwei and Dr. Eugene T. Hsu for use in China. 



Performance of the sounding apparatus under 

 tropical conditions and tests to determine the feasi- 

 bility of predicting nonstandard radar coverage by 

 means of atmospheric soundings were the objects of 

 another project, which was carried out in Panama in 

 collaboration with the NRL. 



Another very important project under this contract 

 was Office of Field Service Project SWP-3 which was 

 for the purpose of exploring meteorological condi- 

 tions in the Southwest Pacific theater to determine 

 their effects on radar coverage, and to assist the AAF 

 in establishing a forecasting service for the tactical 

 exploitation of nonstandard propagation in that 

 region. 



A member of the State College of Washington 

 group working under this contract was loaned to 



