as luminous zinc sulphide, special aviators' goggles, ear valves, Aldis sights, camera mountings, etc. One of the most important phases of the work of the Washington office has been the distribution of reports received from the foreign offices. The nature of these reports has been extremely varied, covering practically every field of activity on war problems. To indicate some of the subjects included, and also to illustrate the fact that many of these reports are on subjects which are quite as important under peace conditions as during the time of war, the following summary will be of interest: Much of the information included in the last half of this table, and many of the reports relating to aeronautics, are of value for peace purposes as well as for those of war. Most of these reports have been either "confidential" or "secret," and their distribution has entailed the greatest care on the part of the office personnel. The obvious idea has been that these reports should be received by all persons in the Government service officially concerned in them, and that they should not be sent to persons not properly concerned in them. As the number of reports received from abroad increased it was found desirable to inaugurate a limited circulation of confidential memoranda containing titles of the reports received, together with a brief statement of the nature and content of the reports. Subsequent to the reorganization of the Research Information Service, copies of these memoranda, complete from the beginning, were sent to each official representative of military, naval, and civil bureaus, and these were supplemented regularly by the issue of memoranda relating to new reports. With the aid of such memoranda each bureau was informed of the existence and nature of reports in which they might be officially interested and which might not have reached them from other sources. Copies of the full reports were then furnished on request of the bureaus. In this way nearly 1,200 copies of reports, many of them of considerable length, have been prepared and distributed. The numerous activities of the foreign offices of the Research Information Service, unfortunately, can not be reported upon in detail here, but more complete information regarding them will be given later. No mention of these offices can be made, however, without an expression of our appreciation of the cordial cooperation of our embassies, of the naval and military officers of the American forces, and of all representatives, military, naval, and civil, of the British, French, and Italian Governments. The extremely cordial attitude of Admiral Sims, in command of United States naval forces operating in European waters, is best illustrated by the following order, creating a scientific division of his staff, placing the scientific attaché in London at its head, and calling for the full cooperation of the officers connected with our vessels abroad: UNITED STATES NAVAL FORCES OPERATING IN EUROPEAN WATERS, CIRCULAR LETTER NO. 21. Subject: Joint Information Committee. 1. Since the beginning of the present war, and particularly since the entry of the United States into the war, various departments of the Government, associations, societies, and clubs throughout the United States have sent representatives abroad for scientific and industrial research work, each department or other body acting independently and without reference to what the others were doing. 2. This practice has caused a considerable duplication of work, given great annoyance to those from whom the information has been obtained abroad, and has resulted in friction, inefficiency, and failure to achieve the most satisfactory results. 3. To correct this unsatisfactory state of affairs the Secretaries of War and of the Navy, by joint action, and with the approval of the Council of National Defense, authorized and approved the organization, through the National Research Council, of a joint information committee, to have its headquarters in Washington and to have branch committees in London and Paris. The branch committees are intended to work in close cooperation with the officers of the Military and Naval Intelligence Services. 4. The functions of the branch committees in London and Paris are to secure, classify, and disseminate scientific, technical, and industrial research information (particularly such as relates to war problems) and to effect the interchange of such information between the allies in Europe and the United States. 5. The State Department has agreed to withhold passports from all scientific Investigators except from those applicants who are duly recommended for passports by the joint information committee in Washington. It is the intention of that committee, before recommending the issue of a passport, to investigate carefully the necessity for the proposed research work, making sure that the information sought is not already on file and that the organization abroad is not in a position to obtain such information with its previously existing personnel. 6. All such investigators who are granted passports are to be regarded as representatives of the joint information committee and will be directed to report to the London committee upon arrival in England and to the Paris committee on arrival in France. 7. The joint committee sitting in Washington consists of the following: (1) A civilian member, representing the National Research Council. (2) The chief of the Military Intelligence Section. (3) The director of Naval Intelligence. 8. The initial organization of the branch committees in London and Paris will be: (1) A scientific attaché, representing the joint information committee. (2) The chief of the Military Intelligence Section. (3) The director of Naval Intelligence. 9. The scientific attachés at present are: London, Dr. H. A. Bumstead; Paris, Dr. W. F. Durand. Assistants to these attachés will presumably be sent from the United States from time to time, as the need for them becomes apparent. At present Mr. S. W. Farnsworth is at the London office as an assistant to Dr. Bumstead. 10. The chief functions of the branch committees are intended to be the following: (a) The development of contact with all important research laboratories or agencies, governmental or private; the compilation of problems and subjects under investigation; and the collection and compilation of the results attained. (b) The classification, organization, and preparation of such information for transmission to the joint information committee in Washington. (c) The maintenance of continuous contact with the work of the offices of military and naval attachés in order that all duplication of work or crossing of effort may be avoided, with the consequent waste of time and energy and the confusion resulting from crossed or duplicated effort. (d) To serve as an immediate auxiliary to the offices of the military and naval attachés in the collection, analysis, and compilation of scientific, technical, and industrial research information. (e) To serve as an agency at the immediate service of the commander in chief of the military and naval forces in Europe for the collection and analysis of scientific and technical research information, and as an auxiliary to such direct military and naval agencies as may be in use for the purpose. (f) To serve as centers of distribution to the American Expeditionary Forces in France and to the American Naval Forces in European Waters of scientific and technical research information originating in the United States and transmitted through the joint information committee in Washington. (g) To serve as centers of distribution to our allies in Europe of scientific, technical, and industrial research information originating in the United States and transmitted through the joint information committee in Washington. (h) The maintenance of the necessary contact between the officers in London and Paris, in order that provision may be made for the direct and prompt interchange of important scientific and technical information. (i) To aid research workers or collectors of scientific, technical, and industrial information from the United States, when properly accredited from the joint information committee in Washington, in best achieving their several and particular purposes. 11. The scientific attaché in London, with his assistants, has been given office space and facilities at the force commander's London headquarters, and is regarded as a member of the force commander's staff. It is desired and directed that all officers of the staff facilitate in every possible way the performance of the work of the scientific attaché, and that they keep him informed as to the classes of information or scientific investigation that would be most beneficial to them in their work. 12. Officers in the force at large are desired to furnish to the scientific attaché, through the force commander, any information of value of which they may be possessed and to make suggestions as to profitable lines of scientific investigation. 13. The branch committee in London, or the scientific attaché, as its representative, in distributing information as contemplated in paragraph No. 10 (ƒ) above, will do so through the medium of the force commander as regards the naval forces and through such channels as the military attaché may prescribe as regards the military forces. The branch committee in Paris will forward information to the naval forces through the naval attaché, who will transmit it through the usual official channels. 14. In distributing information to our allies in Europe, as contemplated in paragraph No. 10 (g) above, the branch committees, or the scientific attachés as their representatives, will transmit the information through the military or naval attaché if it is intended for the military or naval departments of the foreign governments concerned; if it is intended for a civil department, it will be transmitted direct, but if it would be of use or interest to the military and naval forces it will be also transmitted to the military and naval commanders through the attachés. 15. In order to facilitate the work of the branch committees under paragraph No. 10 (i) above, it is desired and directed that the officers of the force commander's staff exert every proper effort to make sure that all investigators, whether officers or civilians, who come to London are put in touch with the scientific attaché in order that mutual assistance may be rendered and that a complete file of information may be maintained in the branch committee's office. All officers of the staff are furthermore directed, before initiating any new investigation, to consult with the scientific attaché to determine whether or not the desired information has been already acquired by the branch committee, and they will equally inform the scientific attaché of the results of any investigations they may make. All concerned must constantly bear in mind the necessity for avoiding duplication of work on the part of the various branches of the staff organization. 16. Officers attached to headquarters in Paris will be guided by the principles underlying the instructions contained in the preceding paragraphs. WM. S. SIMS, Vice Admiral, U. S. Navy, Commanding and Naval Attaché, London. OFFICE MEMORANDUM NO. 61. Subject: Scientific attaché. LONDON, April 16, 1918. 1. The attention of all the staff is invited to Circular Letter No. 21, of April 16, 1918, regarding the joint information committee organized in Washington, with branch committees in London and Paris, and the scientific attachés. 2. While all officers are desired to keep in as close touch as possible with the work of the scientific attaché, it is particularly desirable that the following officers maintain the closest relations with him with a view to constant interchange of information: (1) The officer having cognizance of submarine hunting by sound. (2) The ordnance officer. (3) The radio officer. (4) The officer having cognizance of electrical matters. (5) The medical officer. 3. The division of the staff headed by the scientific attaché will be known as the Scientific Division, and its symbol will be NS. N. C. TWINING, Captain, U. S. Navy, Chief of Staff. In addition to the advantages thus accorded to our scientific attachés, Admiral Sims furnished them with offices in both London and Paris, and contributed in many other ways to the convenience and efficiency of their work. Maj. Gen. John Biddle, commanding the American Expeditionary Forces in England, also issued a similar order and facilitated in many other ways the work of the scientific attaché. Similar courtesies were shown to our representatives in Paris and Rome, both by the Army and Navy. It thus appears that the cooperative plan involved in the organization of the Research Information Service has proved to be acceptable to all of the interests concerned, and that its continuation should be advantageous after such modifications have been made as will be necessary to render the service of the greatest use under peace conditions. One of the chief objects now to be attained is to render the offices of the Service more effective as centers of information on scientific and technical questions. Existing agencies of such information, such as Government bureaus and the valuable library service of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers in New York, will be freely drawn upon. It is not the intention to duplicate such sources, but to secure their wider utilization. In addition to the fund of information available in its own offices, the Research Information Service will arrange to call upon competent correspondents in scientific and technical laboratories throughout the country, who will aid in supplying special information. The work of organizing the Information Service for its new and larger duties is now proceeding under the direction of Dr. Robert M. Yerkes and with the assistance of Dr. G. S. Fulcher, who replaced Dr. Graham Edgar when the latter resigned his position on January |