Procurement in the Emergency Period

Lt Col Charles E. Loucks, ExO OC CWS to Brig Gen H. K. Rutherford, OUSW, 26 Sep 41, sub Outline of General Plan Incidental to the Procurement of Incendiary Bombs. CWS 679/17. 

This plant at Edgewood turned out the AN-M54 incendiary bombs which were used in Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle s raid on Japan, 18 Apr 42. See (1) Ltr, Brig Gen T. H. Marshall to Hist Off, 24 Jan 54. Marshall at that time was a captain working on the incendiary bomb program at Edgewood. (2) Seth Q. Kline, Robert E. Patchel, and Charles T. Mitchell, Development of Quick-Opening Cluster Adapters M4, Ms, M4 M7, and M8 for Incendiary Bombs. TDMR 1015, 16 Apr 45. 

For discussion of ANMB decisions on CWS priorities, see Conference, Manufacturing and Procurement Program of the CWS, 27 May 42, p. 6. CWS 314.7 Conferences File. 

Harry R. Lebkicher, Col. Raymond L. Abel, Lt. Col John L. Miles. 

Still another problem of expanding procurement activities was plant protection. The Federal Bureau of Investigation inspected all War Department and contractors facilities until the spring of 1941, when the function was transferred to the War Department itself On 12 May the Under Secretary of War notified the Chief, CWS, of the change and outlined the activities to be carried out. He stressed the safety features of plant protection as well as the need for guarding against sabotage and directed that plant protection units be set up in the Office of the Chief and in the procurement districts. In conformity with this directive, the Chief, CWS, activated a plant protection unit in his office in May 1S 41 and instruaed the chiefs of the districts to do likewise.  

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