In their war with Germany, the British and the Americans created a number of special scientific and technical intelligence units. These included both the T-Forces, military teams whose primary duty was to secure and to guard intelligence targets, and the Combined Intelligence Objectives Subcommittee (CIOS), whose duty was to recommend targets to the T-Forces and to exploit them once they were secured.

To staff its exploitation teams, CIOS drew upon the armed services for engineers, chemists, and other experts who were transferred to CIOS. In addition, it tapped government agencies such as the U.S. Department of Commerce and the Foreign Economic Administration for civilian specialists who could be put on temporary assignment with CIOS. Finally, CIOS asked universities, private industries, and professional, trade, and industrial associations to contribute or recommend people who might serve as CIOS consultants and investigators.

Whether they had served with CIOS in military uniform or as civilian consultants, hundreds of experts returned to the United States after the war to champion a postwar scientific and industrial exploitation program and to promote the transfer of German personnel to the United States to facilitate that program. For example, they reported that they found wind tunnels “far superior” to anything in use in the United States, a tacking agent for synthetic rubber judged to be “superior to any . . . so far known in allied circles,” textiles and yarns “with no commercial counterpart in this country,” tape recorders that promised to revolutionize the industry, and “an ingenious German machine” that promised to “revolutionize the manufacture of condensers for radio, radar, and other electric and electronic equipment.”