National Defense Research Committee

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
FormedJune 27, 1940 (1940-06-27)
Preceding agency
DissolvedJune 28, 1941 (1941-06-28) (reduced to advisory body)
January 20, 1947 (1947-01-20) (formally dissolved)
Superseding agency
JurisdictionUnited States Government
HeadquartersWashington, D.C.
Agency executives
Parent agencyCouncil of National Defense, a suspended World War I agency briefly revived for World War II
Child agencies

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 It was superseded by the Office of Scientific Research and Development in 1941, and reduced to merely an advisory organization until it was eventually terminated during 1947.