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Hr.A.DQ.UAli'?ERS 

ADY S!•:CURI'fY ADENCY 

WASlilNGTOH 26, D. c. 

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11DGSS-fi2 IO Septe!llbor llli~ 

SUBJEGTs Report ot Laborator~ Bra.nob ~or Period 16 September to ~O Sepaember 1945 

TEIRU1 Chief, Operating Services Division 

!01 Commanding General, Army Security Agency 

1. During the ourr•nt reporting period, the oh1ef difficulty 

encountered in the L':_boratory ~ranch })aa been that of replacing enl:l.sted 

personnel wi~~ ciTilia~ personnel. Job descriptions were prepared during 

the last reporting period but the grades allocated to these jobs by the 

Personnel Branch haTf baeD so low that qualitied personnel would hot 

accept the jobs ottered. For example, the grade allocated to a Photostat 

and Blueprint operator was only CJJ'-2 although it •as apeci~ied that the 

peraon tilling the position must be able not only merely to operate the 

technical machinery involved but alao th aervice and maintain a Blueprinter~ 

a Gally type Photostat ~chine and an AutoJJ19.t1c Photostat la.chine~ Although 

other agencies are receiving higher grades for theae jobs. the trend in 

the Personnel Branch has been to take a very oonaervative attitude on the 

prr•J11ise that the grades are going to be cut in other agencies. It is 

believed that it key personnel could bo obtained ~or the aupervieory positions 

and untrained p~r.ao?mel obtained ~or the aupervi&ed ,1osi tiona and then 

trained under present grades allocated. as ~oon as these latter personnel 

were oompl tely trai~ed they would·reaign and get better paying jobs in 

W~shi~gton, thus hav1n~ Laboratory Branch 1erve merely as a training school 

with an 80-90 ~ turnover in low pay peraonnol every three or tour month•• The 

only solution to the problem appBars to. lie in inaiating that Personnel 

Branch r•te the job• higher. otherwise when the WAC disbandat Laboratory Bran~h will be toroed to reduae production t~ ab~u~ one tenth. o~ present standards. 

2. During thia period the Oe1•man Secret Ink Testing hchine has beerJ 

assembled in Room 0045 B Building and is now_μndorioing operational teats. 

It is bel~c~~~. i~ wi~l be ~vailable tor insrection Jflthin ten day•• : .. ...- - .. . .. 

3~ The Houston Developing machine has been received and almost 

oompletely inatal!ed. Tb.is machine 'Till be operating on 2 Ootobe1·.· -·· 

-.~ ·. '~ All Commercial intercept tacirities have been installed {at 

Waa_!J.~gton, lfey_t~rk, San l'ranc1sco, and San Antonio) and are now operating. 

Some mi~~r 4lftioult1eft haTo arisen but these have been corrected to the a~ti•t~Qtto..u of all concerned.· The centralised filming ot traftio tram 

RCA,.Qommeroial Cables. and Ma.okay Radio in Washington becomes e~r~otive 

1 October with a temporary locatio~_at 927 15th Stre~t N. w •. ~ .. 

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eclassifi ed and a ursuantto E .0. 1352 
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6. Plan• have been made and 1900 in eaah allocated bl 0·2 tor the 

purchaae, RB wastepaper, of all trarr10 in New York trom l Januar7 1942 

to l July ig4g. Contacts will b• m~d• with the Co~.meroial Companies on 

2 Ootobor. 

- a. Certain equipm~nt in the Laboratory Branch is beoomin' unservioeable 

with uae and a0e. The present photoatat machine, originally aeoured from Signal 

Corps 8al~a,e, ia now in bad oondition, tho eng1noor1ng board (tor large orig\nals) 

b•ing entirely unaervloeable, certain other parta ct tr.e nacrine beinG wired tor.ether 

with photographic tape. A study of future requirementa tor photostating in the 

·Arn.y Security Agency is underN&.y and a report ia cain~ p~epnred indio,ting 

the desirability ot purohaain~ an autom:itio machine from Surplus Proper;y 

at one halt price. ' 

1. With the exoepticn of two pictures or Branch Start Porsonnel tho 

Pictorial Biaiory is complete in nelative form. lo report has been reooived 

as to the n.t)n.be~ ~f copiee to be printed. 

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Lt. Col., Signal Corps 

Chief, Laboratory Branch 

lBP SE&\il 

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