Science and the Magic Eye: Innovations in the Selection of Canadian Army Officers, 1939-1945

Abstract

"What is all this that I hear about psychiatrists choosing officers. Pray enquire." Many Canadians shared Winston Churchill's skepticism when British officer candidates were first exposed to psychological testing in 1942. Yet these concerns were soon muffled as the need increased to find faster and better ways to identify military leaders. Canada faced similar demand, and scientific selection methods offered much promise, including a chance for a wider body of men to receive the King's Commission. Yet imposing challenges emerged soon after the first Officers Selection and Appraisal Centres opened in Canada in March 1943. Just how young, enthusiastic, but essentially untrained personnel could determine an individual's leadership potential was a concern shared by our Allies, particularly the British and Americans. No such problem confronted the German Wehrmacht, whose scientists perhaps better understood the value and limitations of psychological testing: Science-or pseudo-science-could replace neither battle experience, nor the seasoned judgment of a commanding officer as a measure of commissioned rank.