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NASA Western Support Office Records at NARA Riverside, 1939-1969
Record Group 255
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Title: NASA Western Support Office Records at NARA Riverside
Date (inclusive): 1939-1969
Collection Number: Record Group 255
Creator:
Western Support Office
Extent:
Number of containers: 46
Volume: 19 linear feet
Volume: 19 linear feet
Repository:
National Archives and Records
Administration, Riverside.
Perris, CA 92570
Abstract: The Western Coordination Office (WCO) was established to act as the
National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) liaison with aircraft companies and
aeronautics research units of colleges and universities in the western region of the United
States. Its functions were eventually transferred to the Western Support Office (WSO) in
1966, which reported to the Office of Industry Affairs at NASA headquarters. The materials
in this collection include administrative documents, reference memoranda, and correspondence
primarily generated by Edwin P. Hartman, the WSO coordinator.
Language:
English
Collection is open for research. Access to some records is restricted due to national security classification status. Some
reports have retained their secret security classification (FOIA (b)(1) National Security, Secret). All queries for records
described in this guide should originate with NARA at Riverside.
Copyright does not apply to United States government records. For non-government
material, researcher must contact the original creator. Additionally, each document that
has a security classification affixed must have a declassification marking stamped on the
document prior to any type of reproduction.
RG255, [Identification of item], NASA Western Support Office Records, [Container number]:
[Folder number], National Archives and Records Administration, Riverside, California.
The Western Coordination Office (WCO) was established to act as the National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) liaison with western aircraft companies and aeronautics
research units of western colleges and universities. The WCO reported directly to the
Director of the NACA.
Soon after the NACA was absorbed into the newly-established National Aeronautics and Space
Administration(NASA) on October 1, 1958, the WCO was abolished by General Management
Instruction (GMI) 2-2-16, NASA, August 25, 1959 and its functions transferred to the Western
Operations Office (WOO), which was created by the same GMI. The WOO continued to work as a
liaison with aerospace companies and research facilities. Their duties were expanded to
include public affairs and administrative and management support of NASA activities west of
Denver, Colorado.
The WOO reported to the Associate Administrator of NASA at NASA headquarters. The WOO
gained responsibility for management of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) contract by the
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) through GMI 2-2-16, NASA, March 7, 1962. The
WOO’s contract management and procurement responsibilities were transferred to the NASA
Resident Office-JPL (NRO-JPL) on May 8, 1966 in a memorandum from the Associate
Administrator to the Associate Administrator for Space Science and Applications, dated
October 19, 1965, subject: Prime Contracting Arrangements for Voyager. The NRO-JPL was
abolished by NASA Management Instruction (NMI) 1136.27, June 15, 1966. Its remaining
functions were transferred to the Western Support Office (WSO) which reported to the Office
of Industry Affairs at NASA headquarters.
The NRO-JPL was redesignated as the NASA Pasadena Office (NAPO) by NMI 1138.9, August 17,
1966. These records can be found in a collection titled “NASA Pasadena Office” and also
housed at NARA Riverside as part of its Record Group 255.
The following terms may be used to index this collection.
Hartman, Edwin Phelps, 1905-
Robinson, Russell G. (Russell
Gideon), 1907-2003
Kamm, Robert W. (Robert
William), 1917-2001
Mulholland, Donald
Western Support Office
United States. National Advisory
Committee for Aeronautics.
Aerospace engineering
Aeronautical engineering
The WSO Collection consists primarily of correspondence and memoranda relating to the needs
and activities of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), a body established
by Congress in 1915 to serve as an aeronautical advisory board to the government and the
private sector. Subjects covered in this collection include the research and development
activities of the US military, aerospace companies, universities and other facilities
associated with the NACA and later NASA. Many of the memoranda reports relate to the needs,
progress and activities of the aerospace industry, and academic research conducted in
aerospace engineering, in the western United States, and were prepared by Edwin P. Hartman,
the NACA Western Coordinator.
Arrangement of the Western Support Office Papers
The papers are arranged into 7 series:
- I. Central Files, 1939-1962 (NARA ARC Identifier 608525)
- II. Reference Memorandums of Edwin P. Hartman, 1940-1956 (NARA ARC Identifier 607812)
- III. Confidential Reference Memorandums, compiled 1940-1962 (NARA ARC Identifier 607317)
- IV. Secret Reference Memorandums, compiled 1946-1961 (NARA ARC Identifier 607259)
- V. Reference Memorandums of Harrison Chandler, compiled 1940-1947 (NARA ARC Identifier 608523)
- VI. Correspondence of the Western Coordinator, compiled 1940-1951 (NARA ARC Identifier 607622)
- VII. Organizational History Files, compiled 1959 - 1968, documenting the period 1939 - 1969 (NARA ARC Identifier 608638)