The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, 20 July 1942, takes pleasure in presenting the Legion of Merit to Colonel (Air Corps) Howard M. McCoy, United States Army Air Forces, for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services to the Government of the United States as Deputy Chief of Exploitation Division, A-2, Headquarters, United States Strategic Air Forces in Europe, from 21 April 1945 to 16 August 1945. Colonel McCoy organized, developed and directed in the United Kingdom a United States Air Documents Research Center, assembled the necessary technical specialists, consultants, librarians, translators, and administrative assistants, established photograph reproduction facilities, and devised and established the necessary procedures for detailed operation of this center. Colonel McCoy’s outstanding performance of duty provided a means for rendering available in the United States German research data of utmost significance to the future of aeronautical science and to the United States Army Air Forces.