Catalogue description Ministry of Supply and successors: British Central Scientific Office and British Commonwealth Scientific Office: Registered Files

The British Central Scientific Office was established in Washington in March 1941, to continue the work of scientific co-operation between Britain and America which had been initiated by the Henry Tizard Mission the previous year. Administration of the office passed from the Ministry of Supply to the Ministry of Production at the end of 1942. By this time the various Service Missions in America were dealing with the scientific aspect of their requirements more or less independently.

The BCSO co-ordinated scientific services common to all departments, and extended its scope to the broader aspects of general scientific research of a long-term nature. In mid-summer 1944 the BCSO merged with the scientific Missions of Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to form the British Commonwealth Scientific Office, which remained in existence after the war.