of the sound -ranging problem which Mr, Iselin had proposed. 

 The program of work outlined for the Woods Hole Oceanographic 

 Institution seemed so important that IIDRC, on 2~~! September 

 1940, decided to contract with the Institution in the sum of 

 $100,000 for a two -rear study „ 



Meanwhile, looking forward to the time when, they hoped, 

 there would be an organization to handle the anti-submarine 

 research program, Drs , Jewett and Bush looked about for a man 

 who could head it. The;- settled upon Dr. John T. Tate, Dean 

 of the College of Science, Literature and the Arts of the 

 University of Minnesota, Following his selection, Dr. Tate 

 aided the Colpitts Subcommittee in its work, and was also 

 given the responsibility of keeping in touch with the Woods 

 Eole project o 



Activities were under way in still another direction. 

 In addition to participating in the conferences concerning an 

 investigation of underwater acoustics, Dr. Slichter had been 

 giving considerable thought bo the possibility of detecting 

 submarines by magnetic methods, With the assistance of the 

 Submarine Signal Company, he had already done some work in 

 this field; and he proposed to Dr. Jewett a scheme for mag- 

 netic detection of submarines which he thought might be of 

 practical use. 



A British scientific mission under the leadership of 

 Sir Henry Tizard, which visited the United States in 1940, 

 recommended that one or two American scientists be sent to 

 England to confer directly with the Admiralty on the work 

 which was being dene in Great Britain on the detection of 

 submarines. This recommendation was echoed in January 1941 

 by Dt, R. H. Fowler of the British Central Scientific Office. 

 Following iiscussions with representatives of the Navy, Dr. 

 Bush requested Drs, Tate and Slichter to make the trip. Dr. 

 Slichter was to investigate, in particular, magnetic detect- 

 ing °f submarines. Drs. Tate and Slichter left on their trip 

 on' 7 April 1941, 



Formal Navy Request . 



Three days after their departure, on 10 April 1941, a 

 letter came to Dr„ Bush from Rear Admiral S. M. Robinson, 

 Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Ships, stating that he had 

 noted the recommendation of the Colpitts Subcommittee for an 

 organization to Investigate the problem of submarine detection. 



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