NDRC Special Weapons, Division 19, the Sandeman Club In late 1942, an agreement was arranged under which the NDRC provided
laboratory facilities dedicated to OSS requirements. Division 19, or more commonly referred to as the Sandeman Club, focused exclusively on developing weapons and devices for OSS use. While Division 19 fell under the command structure of the NDRC and the
Office of Scientific Research and Development (OSRD), it was strictly under the direct command of Stan Lovell and R&D, and its devices were created to the direct specifications required by the OSS. Lovell, therefore, maintained his office and government rank at NDRC throughout the war. Vannevar Bush, upon granting the request for NDRC scientists to be absconded to the OSS, told Lovell: "If they want to make a fountain pen that does things no self-respecting fountain pen would ever do, we will make one." Indeed, R&D later created several forms of exploding fountain pens, and several forms of fountain pens with concealed recording devices. To carry out the laboratory work, the
Maryland Research Laboratory (MRL) was established as a principal facility, which was located in the basement floor of the four-storey clubhouse of the
Congressional Country Club. When demands exceeded MRL's capacity, selected universities and independent laboratories were assigned additional projects. Lovell appointed
Harris Chadwell, a chemistry professor at
Tufts University, to become the Chief of the Sandeman Club for most of the war. Chadwell's former roommate at Harvard,
Louis Fieser (the man who had already invented
Napalm), was recruited to run the Incendiary Devices Section of the Sandeman Club. Famously, only shortly after joining the Sandeman Club, Fieser nearly accidentally burned down a train station in
Boston, after improperly packaging pocket incendiary devices bound for Europe. One particular weapon produced at the Sandeman Club was a flashless, noiseless
.22 caliber pistol. When Lovell gave the prototype pistol to Donovan, the OSS director brought it to the White House for a special demonstration. Donovan brought the pistol and a sandbag into the
Oval Office while
President Roosevelt was dictating a letter at the
Resolute desk. President Roosevelt, focused on his work, did not notice Donovan place the sandbag on the floor and shoot ten rounds into the sandbag. The President only noticed the weapon when he smelled gunpowder in the room. Famously, after this moment, Roosevelt said that Donovan was "the only Republican" to ever be allowed into the Oval Office with a gun.
Technical Division Division 19 of the NDRC conducted fundamental research and development, while the OSS Technical Division was responsible for ensuring that scientific work remained practicable for field use. The Technical Division assigned a project engineer to monitor NDRC progress and to coordinate final trials of new devices before a User Trial Committee. That committee included representatives from the NDRC, the
Maryland Research Laboratory, the
British Liaison Mission, and the OSS Procurement and Supply Branch. Devices intended for special operations were developed and evaluated in close consultation with Britain's
Special Operations Executive (SOE), the result of a joint OSS-SOE agreement that equipment for clandestine missions should be largely interchangeable in the field.
Documentation Division In 1942, during an OSS staff meeting, Lovell learned that an American agent operating in France had been captured and executed after being unable to produce convincing identity papers. Lovell noted then a need for a reliable document-forgery capability within the organization. Lovell initially approached the problem through the study of
paper and
ink production. Donovan, a lawyer by training, was hesitant to authorize such work because of its potentially illegal nature. However, after reviewing Lovell's proposals, Donovan approved the establishment of a documentation program on December 8, 1942. The Documentation Division was created to fabricate the range of identity and travel papers required to establish and sustain undercover identities in hostile and occupied areas; passports, identity cards, driver's licenses, ration books, work permits, and other official-looking records used to verify an operative's assumed status. Lovell recruited Army officer
Willis Reddick to head the new documentation unit and secured support from senior officials. With the assistance of Treasury Secretary
Henry Morgenthau Jr., the project obtained
White House authorization, cooperation from the
U.S. Secret Service, and access to the
Bureau of Engraving and Printing. The technical operations of the workshop were centered around Charlie Kelly, a veteran lithographer recruited from the
American Banknote Company in New York City, despite that firm's objections. The original plan envisioned setting up document-production facilities in overseas theaters of operation, but this approach was soon revised. A central capability was instead established at OSS Headquarters, from which production methods and expertise could later be expanded to field locations.
Camouflage Division . The Camouflage Division was responsible for disguising and concealing personal effects, devices, and operational equipment used in special operations. Its work focused on making tools and gear appear innocuous or blend into their surroundings, through concealment, deceptive housings or markings, false compartments, and surface treatments, so that items could be carried, deployed, or used without attracting attention.
Special Assistants Division The Special Assistants Division was established to supply specialized equipment and materials for officers and agents that lay outside the technical or functional responsibilities of the other divisions. It handled unique or irregular requests requiring custom solutions or rapid adaptation for specific operational needs. == Inventions and devices ==