ITEM No. 28 
FILE No. XVII ■ 8 
COPY No 109 
REICHFORSCHUNGSRAT 
Combined intelligence objectives 
SUBCOMMITTEE EEICHPORSCHUNGSRAT 
German Research Organisation 
Report By 
Dr, W. T. ColBy, Expert Consultant 
Dr. S. A. Ooudsmlt, Scientific Chief 
CIOS BLACK LIST ITEM- 28 
H.Q. Documents and Personnel 
COMBINED INTELLIGENCE OBJECTIVES SUB-COMMITTEE 
0-2 DIVISION. SHAEF (Hear) APO Ul3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 
SUBJECT 
PAGE NO 
Report 3 
Personnel of Inspection 
Team 
Dr, W. IT. Colby, Expert Consultant 
Dr. S, A. Goudsmit, Scientific Chief European treater of operations 
UNITED STATES ARMY 
A1303 MISSION 
12 March 1945 
SUBJECT: German Research Organization - Reichsforschungsrat. 
In January 1943 the Reichsforschungarat, RFR, National Research 
Council was formed. According to a circular letter dated about a year 
later, this RFR is directly under the Reichsmarshall, coring. It acts 
as a central agency for the research work of i.ailitary importance at the 
various universities and other research institutions. It assigns re- 
search projects to universities and individuals, allocates funas, es- 
tablishes priorities, handles personnel and deferments. 
Up to January 1943 an RFR had existed under the Minister of 
Education, Rust, but it had little power. By order of the FOarer the 
new RFR was created in which the old one was to be incorporated or 
practically abolished. 
The new RFR has as its task to coordinate all research pro- 
jects which previously had been assigned to the universities by the 
Ceriaan Air Force, Army, Navy, Postal Department, or other agencies. 
It is not known as to how far the other agencies were able to adhere to 
their independent administration of research problems. A circular 
letter from the Director of Research of the Air-minister and Chief of 
the Air Force of March 1S43 states that the roster cards for the RFR 
have to be filled out in a special way when referring to Air Force 
projects "for security reasons." 
It may be significant that a section of the Kdiser Wilhelm 
Institute for Chemistry was evacuated to southern Germany in the sum- 
mer of 1944 and, according to its letterhead, is now direcsly under 
the RFR. Also, a research group working at the sorbonne in was 
designated as an "Arbeitsgruppe" under the RFR. 
3 Ths number of members of the HER is not known to the authors 
of this report. Their title is "Bevollmachtigter des 
Representative with power of the Rcichsmarshal. Representatives1 names 
encountered so far are: 
for Organic Chemistry - R. Kuhn, SWI, Heidelberg. 
n Nuclear physics - W. Gerlach, university, Munich. 
« Medicine - F* Sauerbruch, University, Gr 
w Military Medicine - W. Richter, University, Greifswald 
until summer 1944* 
Within.the HER is the Kriegswirtschaftsstelle, Berlin/steg- 
litz, Grunewald Str. 35, to which explications are made for mat rials 
and to which apparatus is reported for repair. A communication from 
here is signed "Becker" in 1943, or later. Menzel was then President 
- he is key man in the Ministry of Education. 
The "Planungsaiiit" is a special office under the HER dealing 
with assignment and deferment of personnel. Its director is prof. W* 
Osonberg, of the Technische Hochschule in Hannover; mail address* P* 
0* Box 148, Northelm, near Hannover, which also seems to be the latest 
address of the planungsarat in August 1944. The Berlin address is the 
same as that of the given above. In August 
1943, this same address was also used by Dr. Brener as head of the 
Medical section of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, of which Men- 
zel is also president (1942). 
A communication to the Planungsamt was addressed to the 
attention cf a Dr. Baer, Berlin/Dahlem, Gazy(?) str. 9 (January 1944). 
In May 1942, Osanberg headed a committee to review the avail- 
ability of research personnel at German universitiesK engineering 
schools and other research institutes for work on pressing problems of 
the German Navy. 
W.F. COLBY 
Expert Consultant, 
S*A. GOUDSMIT, 
Scientific Chief. 
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