National Defense Research Committee

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National Defense Research Committee

NDRC
President Harry S. Truman with members of the National Defense Research Committee. Seated are Dr. James B. Conant, President Truman and Dr. Alfred N. Richards. Standing are Dr. Karl T. Compton, Dr. Lewis H. Weed, Dr. Vannevar Bush, Dr. Frank B. Jewett, Dr. J. C. Hunsaker, Dr. Roger Adams, Dr. A. Baird Hastings and Dr. A. R. Dochez
Agency overview
Formed	June 27, 1940 (1940-06-27)
Preceding	similar previous agencies: Council of National Defense (WWI)
Dissolved	June 28, 1941 (1941-06-28) (reduced to advisory body) January 20, 1947 (1947-01-20) (formally dissolved)
Superseding agency	Office of Scientific Research and Development
Jurisdiction	United States Government
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Agency executives	Vannevar Bush, chairman Harold G. Bowen, Sr., Karl Compton, James B. Conant, Frank B. Jewett, George V. Strong, Richard C. Tolman, notable executive committee members (some as ex-officio members)
Parent agency	Council of National Defense, a suspended World War I agency briefly revived for World War II
Child agencies	Many divisions and sections, most notably: Manhattan Project, Radiation Laboratory at MIT, Underwater Sound Laboratory

The National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) was an organization created "to coordinate, supervise, and conduct scientific research on the problems underlying the development, production, and use of mechanisms and devices of warfare" in the United States from June 27, 1940, until June 28, 1941. Most of its work was done with the strictest secrecy, and it began research of what would become some of the most important technology during World War II, including radar and the atomic bomb. It was superseded by the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1941, and reduced to merely an advisory organization until it was eventually terminated during 1947.