20 



CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD 



New Zealand. This letter commented on the work 

 already accomplished, as reported to the Committee 

 by Dr. Anderson and Dr. Booker, and invited expan- 

 sion of the investigation, particularly to determine 

 the effects on propagation of a hot, dry, air mass mov- 

 ing from the land out over the sea. This condition 

 existed in many other operationally important 

 regions of the Western Pacific and was known to 

 affect seriously the performance of coastal radar 

 installations. 



On January 1, 1945, Dr. Stratton asked to be re- 

 lieved of his responsibilities as a Committee member 

 and accepted in lieu thereof an appointment as a 

 consultant, which capacity permitted him more time 

 for discharging his duties in the Office of the Sec- 

 retary of War. 



At a meeting held on January 5 many questions 

 were taken up, and progress made in the preceding 

 year was reviewed. 



The following projects were reported as proceeding 

 concurrently. 



1 . The Navy experiment along an over- water path 

 in the Caribbean area, where thin surface ducts were 

 prevalent. 



2. Experiments where relatively dry air moved 

 from the land over a water surface. These included 

 the MIT-RL experiment near Cape Cod and analysis 

 of the data obtained, and experiments going on in 

 New Zealand. 



3. Propagation over a land surface where radiation 

 cooling produced temperature inversions in the lower 

 air layers. An experiment was being conducted in 

 Arizona by NRSL, and another was being prepared 

 in Canada by the Army Operational Research 

 Group. 



4. Experiments along an over-water path where 

 subsidence of an upper air mass produces duct condi- 

 tions. The NRSL was conducting such experiments 

 near San Diego, which offered conditions typical of 

 certain other areas in the Pacific. 



5. Developments of meteorological theory for low- 

 level ducts in purely oceanic air. This work was 

 going on at MIT-RL. 



6. Development of atmospheric sounding equip- 

 ment for the armed forces. This work was going on 

 at the State College of Washington. 



7. An educational program designed to provide 

 the Services with up-to-date information on the 

 propagation question. This was being carried out 

 by Columbia University. 



8. Mathematical calculations of wave propagation 



characteristics. These calculations were being con- 

 ducted by CUDWR WPG and by MIT-RL. 



In addition, certain new questions were taken 

 up with a view to arranging experiments to provide 

 the answers. These were the matters of accuracy of 

 gun-laying radars as affected by variations of the 

 refractive index, the reflection coefficient of open 

 sea surfaces, and radar cross sections of ship and 

 airplane targets. The latter two questions were being- 

 undertaken by NRL, and the former was believed 

 possible of solution by BTL. 



The business matters of improved liaison with 

 Pacific theaters and of the budget for the ensuing- 

 period were also taken up. 



At other meetings held during January 1945, 

 organizational, personnel, and equipment matters 

 were taken up and settled as facilities permitted. 

 Dr. Carroll, of the War Department Radio Propaga- 

 tion Section, was appointed a Committee member on 

 January 12. Possible cooperation with China was 

 discussed, following a discussion by Dr. P. C. T. 

 Kwei of Wuhan University, of research carried on in 

 China before and during the retreat from the 

 Japanese invasion. 



During the month of February the Committee on 

 Propagation established liaison with the Watson 

 Laboratories of the Army Air Force which had 

 recently begun operations. 



In February also the Committee heard an address 

 by Dr. S. K. Mitra of the Council of Scientific and 

 Industrial Research in India and established liaison 

 with that body. 



The question of utilizing the services of Dr. Kwei 

 and his assistant, Dr. Eugene Hsu, in obtaining 

 ionospheric information after their return to China 

 was also discussed. 



On March 6, 1945, a detailed report by Dr. Carroll 

 on uses of tropospheric propagation in the Army 

 was submitted to the Committee. This report had 

 been prepared during January and provided a great 

 deal of information needed by the Committee in 

 continuing the propagation investigation. At later 

 meetings in March, the matter of utilizing the 

 services of Dr. Kwei and Dr. Hsu was settled affirma- 

 tively, and a meeting was held with representatives 

 of the Coast Guard to establish a better liaison 

 link with that service. 



Martin Katzin of NRL was appointed a Committee 

 member early in April. Later that month the 

 Chairman prepared a report for Col. D. N. Yates, 

 Chief of the Weather Division, AAF, on the problems 



