Dear Ms. Thurlow,
Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!
We searched the National Archives Catalog and located 29 record series created by the Naval Research Laboratory. For more information about these records, please email the reference units listed in the Catalog description. We were unable to locate references to the GRAB program or to Reid D. Mayo.
If you have not already done so, we suggest that you request a copy of your father’s Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and medical records of enlisted men and officers of the U.S. Navy who were separated from the service after 1957 and prior to January 31, 1994 are located at NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO 63138-1002. To request these records, please mail a completed GSA Standard Form 180 to NPRC. You also may fax the form to 314-801-9195 OR view the record by visiting the NPRC Archival Research Room in St. Louis, MO. Veterans and their next of kin also may use eVetRecs to request records. See eVetRecs Help for instructions. Certain information in the records is not available to the general public without the written consent of the veteran or his next of kin. For more information see Request Military Service Records.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and pursuant to guidance received from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), NARA has adjusted its normal operations to balance the need of completing its mission-critical work while also adhering to the recommended social distancing for the safety of NARA staff. As a result of this re-prioritization of activities, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgement as well as a substantive response to your reference request from the various NARA units. Also, the NPRC closed again as of November 7, 2020 until further notice. NPRC will respond only to requests involving burials, medical emergencies, and homeless veterans. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines or emergency requests may be faxed to (314) 801-0764. Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for any inconvenience.
We searched online and located a citation for the following article or chapter by him. This book is available through a number of online retailers, as well as several libraries. Wet were unable to locate a reference to a book written entirely by Reid D. Mayo.
Mayo, Reid D. "Conceiving the World's First Signals Intelligence Satellite." In Beyond Expectations -- Building an American National Reconnaissance Capability: Recollections of the Pioneers and Founders of National Reconnaissance, ed. Robert A. McDonald, 129-138. Bethesda, MD: American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, 2002.
We also located the following citation for interviews of him. The citation does not include information about where the transcripts are held. They may still be in the custody of the Naval Research Laboratory Historian.
Allison, D.K. Transcript of interviews with Reid Dennis Mayo conducted by NRL Historian (June 1981): 279 pages.
We located a number of additional references to Reid D. Mayo and/or the GRAB program, including the following web pages.
We suggest that you contact the National Reconnaissance Office, the Naval History and Heritage Command, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory for further information.
We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research!
Dec 3, 2020 11:01 AM