Special Engineering Detachment (SEDs)

World War II created a severe shortage of labor in the United States. National leaders had to balance the burgeoning manpower needs of the military against those required for agricultural and industrial production. Many crafts, such as machinists, were not only critical to the war effort but also in especially short supply. This national labor crisis extended to the Los Alamos Laboratory, which needed the very same skills required by the military and industry.