What is the role of a field representative?
In August 1944, Mac became the procurement representative for the Boston area, one of 11 such areas across the country. He had several roles to perform. First, he was responsible for reviewing all the project-approved facilities in his area and providing updated information to the Procurement Supervisor in Knoxville. Just as important were taking in requests for fabrication-related work, reviewing the plans, asking questions to ensure he understood the class of work involved, and visiting the appropriate vendor or vendors in his area to discuss the requirements and obtain a bid or bids.
Once a final bid was obtained, it was transmitted to the Knoxville office, which would then send the bid acceptance via teletype or phone to the field representative.
The field representative maintained contact with the contracting facility to monitor the status and deadline for the production of the required product and, upon completion, arranged expediting the item to the appropriate location by train in a manner that would not attract attention.
This job description explains why Mac was once again frequently on the road and rarely home, why he had a close relationship with the Boston-area security officer, and why this job would require access to the senior project engineer in Boston. The field expediter had access to all of the plans, drawings, and records for any Oak Ridge-based contract being fabricated in the Boston area and transported these detailed specifications to the various vendors for their review. The security officer would need to be in close proximity to ensure the information, along with the knowledge of where and how items were being shipped, remained secure.
The field representative handled the inspector’s work, procurement, and expediting, work that would usually be handled by three people. In addition, the job description noted that the field representative was always on call to support any project procurement group with both procurement and expediting. So, if needed, he did the same work for another regional office’s contracts.
Some final thoughts and a next step
Based on the letters and the archival records, Mac served multiple roles for two employers, focusing on inspection, procurement, and expediting for the Manhattan Project. While the information about his Stone and Webster work with Metal Hydrides, Chapman Valve Company, and possibly E.B. Badger, put him in proximity to information regarding the workings of the X-10 and Y-12 plants at Oak Ridge, his work as the field representative for Tennessee Eastman required access to a broad spectrum of information regarding all the Manhattan Project work at Oak Ridge. This hefty role and the stress that comes with these responsibilities most likely contributed to his heart attack.
A second trip to the National Archives at Atlanta is the next step. While I don’t yet know what else may be found in the records, it is worth a look.
A. E. Macdonald's Writing Life 
4 responses to “Researching Family Secrets: The Manhattan Project Connection”
This has been amazing to read. My grandfather was an engineer at Chapman Valve and one of the employees tasked with top secret MP work. My understanding is he worked on valve designs and production. But he was also gone for a very long trip. My mom recalls her dad arriving at their home in a vehicle stripped of the exterior front body (open air driving) and a large lead box welded to the back trunk area. With the uranium work that Chapman Valve also completed along with valve work (rod production is my understanding from the USGov health settlements) a large lead box makes sense. He was home just to say good-bye with an awareness of the possibility he may not return. He was gone for quite a long time as my mom would recall. As I dig through family files, I hope to find out more information. I do have my grandfather’s Manhattan Project certificate, but I do not think we still have his atomic pin. I recall him using it as a fishing weight which is a story for another day.
Thank you for reading and for your comments. That is an amazing story to tell about the lead box and not seeing your grandfather being away with the possibility of never returning. I like how he used the A-Pin as a fishing weight too. These men did a lot and, in the end, the pin wasn’t something you could wear around the house but had many other uses.
William Bill Shackleford, received a certificate from the United States of America. Of when he helped design the Trigger mechanism of the atomic bomb. I was told that me and my siblings could received Royalties from our grandfather how do i get a copy of that certificate
Hi Cathy,
Thanks for reaching out. My research was conducted by searching through records at the National Archives. I’m not sure how you would access that certificate today. Have you reached out to the Department of Energy?
Best,
Anne