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Secret Weapons, Forgotten Sacrifices Scientific R & D in World War II by Adam Kline with Robyn Dexter

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Secret Weapons, Forgotten Sacrifices Scientific R & D in World War II by Adam Kline with Robyn Dexter Secret Weapons, Forgotten Sacrifices Scientific R & D in World War II By Adam Kline with Robyn Dexter t was June 16, 1942, and the United States was still reeling from the attack on Pearl Harbor six months Iearlier. The nation was building up its Army and Navy as quickly as possible by training draftees and volunteers. And America’s industrial machine was converting from automobiles to tanks and other machines of war. In fact, Carl Sanborn was working on a “secret weapon” called the “Mousetrap,” an antisubmarine rocket. He was doing something he had done “at least a dozen times”—which was constructing primer charges with magnesium and highly explosive potassium perchlorate. Somehow, in mixing the new powder, it ignited—because of friction, others surmised. The explosion blew parts of the table top 20 feet away and knocked Sanborn to the ground. “Am I burned too badly to live?” Sanborn, shivering from shock and unable to see, asked when he was found prone on the ground. He was bleeding from his swollen nose, with “a white cloudy film” in his eyes and his hair singed. Both legs were burned, both of his arms had multiple compound fractures, and “both [his] hands [were] partly gone, including several fingers and thumbs.” Medical help arrived, but Sanborn died early the next morning. Sanborn became another casualty of war, named “Aunt Jemima”) to pyrotechnic “panic Just as OSRD projects were overshadowed but not on the battlefields of Europe or the creators.” by reports from the front, the deaths of its islands of the South Pacific. personnel in pursuit of scientific research fell Sanborn was an employee of California into obscurity, despite the enduring popular Institute of Technology working with the FDR Taps Vannevar Bush interest in World War II. U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Devel­ To Oversee War Research The OSRD traced its origins to the creation opment (OSRD) near Pasadena to develop of the National Defense Research Commit­ the antisubmarine rockets. Throughout the The OSRD’s work, however, often met tee (NDRC) in June 1940. President Franklin war, the OSRD worked to find new weapon­ with tragedy. D. Roosevelt appointed Vannevar Bush as its ry for America’s military to chairman. defeat Hitler’s Third Reich Bush, president of the and the Empire of Japan. Carnegie Institute and A wide variety of “inven­ chairman of the Nation­ tive” proposals passed al Advisory Commit­ across the OSRD’s desks tee for Aeronautics, had as the war effort brought a distinguished career. fresh problems, which He had taught electrical demanded creative solu­ engineering at Tufts Uni­ tions. Some projects never versity and Massachusetts saw the light of day, while Institute of Technology, others filled up the files helped create the Ray­ with myriad details of their theon Company, and development, testing, and developed a machine that shipping to the field. could solve differential While historic break­ equations. A prodigious throughs such as the tinkerer, Bush even cre­ atomic bomb and the ated a special bird feeder invention of penicil­ “inhospitable to greedy lin were widely covered pigeons and blue jays.” products of U.S. scientific After the war, when research during the war, President Harry S. Tru­ many of the OSRD proj­ man told him he had ects, whether successful a politician’s instincts, or failures, remain largely Bush replied, “Mr. unknown. President, what the hell The Office of Strate­ do you think I’ve been gic Services (OSS)—the doing around this town precursor of the Central for five or six years?” One of the out-of-the-ordinary products OSRD scientists were directed to create was an Intelligence Agency— edible plastic explosive, code-named “Aunt Jemima.” The mixture had to be undetectable, Under Bush, the NDRC and the military services safe to transport, and able to be baked into normal bread, biscuits, or muffins. was to “conduct research turned to the OSRD and for the creation and its director, Vannevar Bush, when they By the end of May 1943, the OSRD improvement of instrumentalities, meth­ needed new equipment, whether it was a acknowledged 10 fatalities “occurring in con­ ods and materials of warfare,” which it did solution to malaria or a silenced pistol. nection with . OSRD work.” Other deaths with the help of scientists and engineers Under Division 19 (Miscellaneous would follow. In the course of their duties to from U.S. companies and universities. Weapons), OSRD scientists brainstormed develop innovative weapons and gear, scientists However, the NDRC was soon succeeded everything from edible plastic explosive (code- and workers perished in work-related accidents. by another body: the OSRD. Secret Weapons, Forgotten Sacrifices Prologue 25 The frontispiece of an OSRD report on studying underwater ballistics illustrates the launching equip­ ment for projectiles and spheres. Because the NDRC was only research- focused, it was necessary to create an agency that would handle both the research and development of projects. In addition, a new organization could properly coordi­ nate research between military branches and manage much-needed medical research. Accordingly, Executive Order 8807, issued June 28, 1941, by President Roos­ evelt, established the OSRD. Bush became its director, and the OSRD would comprise the NDRC—now with only the power to “advise and assist the Director”—along with the Advisory Council, Committee on Medical Research, Administrative Office, and Liaison Office. (Other divisions were later added.) The OSRD also had the power to use gov­ ernment resources and to make contracts with individuals, companies, and other sci­ entific organizations. This new organization provided the impetus for critical scientific research during the war. “Evil Smelling Substances” Proposed as a Weapon The most unconventional suggestions could succeed in the OSRD. On November 20, 1943, Stanley P. Lovell, director of OSS’s research and development, sent an unusual request in a letter to Division 19 head Har­ ris M. Chadwell. He wanted “to provide civilian populations with . a liquid . [that] will produce unmistakable evidence of extreme personal uncleanliness.” Amid the serious letters and reports in OSRD records is a memorandum concerning confusion over an apparent request for “five pounds of live monsters.” The puzzle was cleared up when some­ one realized that by correcting three letters, the monsters became “hamsters.” Spring 2016 Vannevar Bush headed the OSRD after President Roosevelt created the office in 1941. Bush had previ­ ously served as chairman of the National Defense Research Committee. This memorandum inaugurated project “Who, Me?” (SAC-31), a joint venture with the Arthur D. Little Company, a chemical and engineering consulting company. Researchers mulled over formulas for their The Arthur D. Little Company worked with the OSRD to fill a request from the OSS.The OSS wanted a foul- “evil smelling substances,” focusing on “strange smelling substance that could alarm a population or contaminate enemy supplies.The “Who, Me?” research came up with several stinkers before settling on a “skunky” mixture. or novel” odors to alarm the targets, disperse crowds, and contaminate enemy supplies. They considered using mercaptans, sulphides, Night Landings and Smokescreens als needed was deemed “prohibitively large” methyl telluride, ammonium valerate, and thi­ Proposed for Army and Navy by Division A (Armor and Ordnance) Chair aldine as ingredients. Richard C. Tolman, who recommended that Eventually, the first “Who, Me?” formula Other ideas were less offbeat but equally the plan be dropped. was developed in February 1944 to use against innovative. When the Army Air Forces asked for a means the Japanese. It consisted of n-Butyric acid, In 1941, the NDRC considered develop­ of landing aircraft while hiding the bases from n-Valeric acid, n-Caproic acid, and Skatole; ing “illuminated smoke clouds” for use “in the enemy, the NDRC created ultraviolet reflec­ this particular batch had a “powerful and last­ night operations against attacking aircraft.” tor beacons that would demarcate the runway ing” fecal odor. Shells, rockets, or airplanes placed the smoke­ and aircraft-mounted UV lights that would By late 1944, the team decided that such screen, then flares would blind the maraud­ pick them up, enabling a safe landing. In August a smell would be ineffective, so Dr. E. C. ers and silhouette them against the night sky, 1942, flight tests were successful. The markers Crocker instead recommended a “skunky” easy targets for anti-aircraft guns and fighters. were viewed up to 4,000 feet “on a hazy night,” mixture of alpha ionone, butyric acid and Unfortunately, this method required tens of and the test plane was able to land. amyl mercaptan. After grappling with nag­ thousands of shells and flares an hour. Sci­ The Navy was interested in using the system on ging difficulties—fragile glass containers entists estimated that 500 tons of smoke for its aircraft carriers and received another demon­ breaking, accidental dripping onto users, and every 100 square miles were needed to create stration. However, the Army Air Forces advised leaky tubes—the OSS finally shipped out 500 “a totally obscuring cloud of minimum thick­ against using the system, saying that “greater tubes of each formula on February 27, 1945. ness.” The amount of equipment and materi­ secrecy in night operation” was not necessary. Secret Weapons, Forgotten Sacrifices Prologue 27 The OSS’s Project Fantasia was an attempt at psychological warfare. OSRD sci- When two colonels asked about using methane to “freeze a neighborhood,” the entists were asked to create a device that would simulate a fearsome creature expert at Harvard Medical School pointed out the plan’s shortcomings. to terrify the Japanese. Still, they encouraged further investigation into, tasia and “instill fear, terror, and despair.” Hop­ In response to a September 18 letter from and testing of, an “invisible beacon” for landing.
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