NASA Western Support Office Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969
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http://oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/kt6z09r21z No online items NASA Western Support Office Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969 Guide prepared by Gwen Pattison and Glenn Bugos NASA Ames Research Center History Office Mail Stop 207-1 Moffett Field, California 94035 ©2006 NASA Ames Research Center. All rights reserved. NASA Western Support Office Record Group 255 1 Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969 NASA Western Support Office Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969 NASA Ames Research Center History Office Contact Information: The National Archives at Riverside 23123 Cajalco Road Perris, CA 92570 Phone: 951-956-2000 Email: [email protected] URL: http://www.archives.gov/riverside Collection processed by: Gwen Pattison Finding aid writteny by: Gwen Pattison and Glenn Bugos Date Completed: 2000, 2006 ©2006 National Archives and Records Administration, Pacific Region, Riverside, CA. All rights reserved. Descriptive Summary Title: NASA Western Support Office Records at NARA Riverside Date (inclusive): 1939-1969 Collection Number: Record Group 255 Creator: Western Support Office Extent: Number of containers: 46 Volume: 19 linear feet Repository: National Archives and Records Administration, Riverside. Perris, CA 92570 Abstract: The Western Coordination Office (WCO) was established to act as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) liaison with aircraft companies and aeronautics research units of colleges and universities in the western region of the United States. Its functions were eventually transferred to the Western Support Office (WSO) in 1966, which reported to the Office of Industry Affairs at NASA headquarters. The materials in this collection include administrative documents, reference memoranda, and correspondence primarily generated by Edwin P. Hartman, the WSO coordinator. Language: English Access Collection is open for research. Access to some records is restricted due to national security classification status. Some reports have retained their secret security classification (FOIA (b)(1) National Security, Secret). All queries for records described in this guide should originate with NARA at Riverside. Publication Rights Copyright does not apply to United States government records. For non-government material, researcher must contact the original creator. Additionally, each document that has a security classification affixed must have a declassification marking stamped on the document prior to any type of reproduction. Preferred Citation RG255, [Identification of item], NASA Western Support Office Records, [Container number]: [Folder number], National Archives and Records Administration, Riverside, California. Administrative History The Western Coordination Office (WCO) was established to act as the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) liaison with western aircraft companies and aeronautics research units of western colleges and universities. The WCO reported directly to the Director of the NACA. NASA Western Support Office Record Group 255 2 Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969 Soon after the NACA was absorbed into the newly-established National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA) on October 1, 1958, the WCO was abolished by General Management Instruction (GMI) 2-2-16, NASA, August 25, 1959 and its functions transferred to the Western Operations Office (WOO), which was created by the same GMI. The WOO continued to work as a liaison with aerospace companies and research facilities. Their duties were expanded to include public affairs and administrative and management support of NASA activities west of Denver, Colorado. The WOO reported to the Associate Administrator of NASA at NASA headquarters. The WOO gained responsibility for management of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) contract by the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) through GMI 2-2-16, NASA, March 7, 1962. The WOO’s contract management and procurement responsibilities were transferred to the NASA Resident Office-JPL (NRO-JPL) on May 8, 1966 in a memorandum from the Associate Administrator to the Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, dated October 19, 1965, subject: Prime Contracting Arrangements for Voyager. The NRO-JPL was abolished by NASA Management Instruction (NMI) 1136.27, June 15, 1966. Its remaining functions were transferred to the Western Support Office (WSO) which reported to the Office of Industry Affairs at NASA headquarters. The NRO-JPL was redesignated as the NASA Pasadena Office (NAPO) by NMI 1138.9, August 17, 1966. These records can be found in a collection titled “NASA Pasadena Office” and also housed at NARA Riverside as part of its Record Group 255. Indexing Terms The following terms may be used to index this collection. Personal Name Hartman, Edwin Phelps, 1905- Robinson, Russell G. (Russell Gideon), 1907-2003 Kamm, Robert W. (Robert William), 1917-2001 Mulholland, Donald Corporate Name Western Support Office United States. National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. Subjects Aerospace engineering Aeronautical engineering Scope and Content The WSO Collection consists primarily of correspondence and memoranda relating to the needs and activities of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), a body established by Congress in 1915 to serve as an aeronautical advisory board to the government and the private sector. Subjects covered in this collection include the research and development activities of the US military, aerospace companies, universities and other facilities associated with the NACA and later NASA. Many of the memoranda reports relate to the needs, progress and activities of the aerospace industry, and academic research conducted in aerospace engineering, in the western United States, and were prepared by Edwin P. Hartman, the NACA Western Coordinator. Arrangement of the Western Support Office Papers The papers are arranged into 7 series: I. Central Files, 1939-1962 (NARA ARC Identifier 608525) II. Reference Memorandums of Edwin P. Hartman, 1940-1956 (NARA ARC Identifier 607812) III. Confidential Reference Memorandums, compiled 1940-1962 (NARA ARC Identifier 607317) IV. Secret Reference Memorandums, compiled 1946-1961 (NARA ARC Identifier 607259) V. Reference Memorandums of Harrison Chandler, compiled 1940-1947 (NARA ARC Identifier 608523) VI. Correspondence of the Western Coordinator, compiled 1940-1951 (NARA ARC Identifier 607622) VII. Organizational History Files, compiled 1959 - 1968, documenting the period 1939 - 1969 (NARA ARC Identifier 608638) NASA Western Support Office Record Group 255 3 Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969 Series ICentral Files 1939-1962 Series I Central Files 1939-1962 Note NARA Archival Research Catalog Identifier 608525 Physical Description: 18 Boxes7 ft. 6 in. A008662-A008670 Scope and Content Note This series includes correspondence, memorandums, reports, newspaper clippings, and teletypes relating to the research and development activities of the United States military, aerospace companies, universities and other facilities associated with the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), and later National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Topics include contract files for projects such as the interplanetary and lunar flight project (Vega) being developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, symposia and conference summaries for meetings such as the Manned Space Station Symposium, background information on aerospace companies which includes correspondence, reference memorandums and trip reports summarizing commercial, military and space research and development. Internal management materials include legislative program files, reorganization planning for the Western Coordination Office (WCO), later the Western Operations Office (WOO) and the Western Support Office (WSO) and correspondence with other NACA/NASA units such as NASA headquarters, Ames Research Center, Lewis Research Center and Goddard Space Flight Center. Arranged alphabetically by subject and there under chronologically. Box 1 ARDC Ballistic Missile Division, 1957-1960 Box 1 ARPA (Advanced Research Projects Agency) Box 1 Activity Report, August 1962 - December 1962 Box 1 Aerojet, 1953-1960 Box 1 Aerolab Development Co., 1960 Box 1 Aerospace Industries Association, September 28, 1960 Box 1 AFBMD (Agena & Centaur), January 25-28, 1960 Box 1 Aerophysics Development, 1954-1958 1954-1958 Box 1 Aeronutronics Systems, Inc., 1959 Box 1 ACFT OPN Meetings, November 5, 1958 Box 1 ACFT, Missiles and Spacecraft Committee Meetings, October 9, 1958 Box 1 AiResearch, 1951-1960 Box 1 AiResearch Box 1 Ames Box 1 Ames—Correspondence with Individuals (personal), 1958 Box 1 Ames—Facilities and Equipment, 1957 Box 1 Ames—Personnel and Organization, 1955 Box 1 Atlantic Missile Range Box 1 Atlantic Research Corporation, 1960 Box 1 Automatic Stabilization and Control Box 2 Beckman Instruments, Inc., 1958-1959 Box 2 Blue Scout Status Report Box 2 Boeing, 1951-1956 Box 2 Boeing, 1957-1959 Box 2 Booster Recovery Project (Contract and Contract Administration), 1959 Box 2 CAA Box 2 Caltech—Payments, Contract NASw-6, 1958-1959 Box 2 Caltech-JPL-LAOD (Technical) Box 2 California Institute of Technology, 1953-1958 Box 3 California Institute of Technology, 1950-1952 Box 3 California Research Corporation, 1951-1958 Box 3 Cavea B Status Report Box 3 Centaur Project (Technical) Box 3 Chance-Vought, 1956-1959 Box 3 Chance-Vought, 1952-1955 NASA Western Support Office Record Group 255 4 Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969 Series ICentral Files 1939-1962 Box