Evening star., 1942-10-05
A FruitIess Controversy

A FruitIess Controversy
The controversy over the Pentagon
Building started when this extraor-
dinary undertaking was first revealed
in report of the House Appropria-
tions Committee back in July of 1941.
It undoubtedly will continue to rage
long after its 152 acres of office floor
space have been occupied by the
10000 employees eventually to work
there. And 1t will never be settled
to anybody's satisfaction, for the
wisdom of building this unprece-
dented structure will always depend
upon point of view.
Representative Engel of Michigan
mentions, in connection with his de-
tailed recital in the House of the
astonishing cost of the building and
its network of roads and bridges, that
he had great difficult in securing
such data, as he found many of the
items of cost, ETC., regarded as a
military secret-marked confidential
General Somervell, in his reply to Mr..
Engel's remarks, insists that much of
the information is of military value
to our enemies and he is in a better
position to pass on this subject than
anybody else.
But undoubtedly the secrecy which
has surrounded the plan, from its
very inception, has contributed to
the misunderstanding and disputes
which never will be settled. This
largest building operation ever un-
dertaken in Washington developed
almost overnight, with no previous
discussion with or approval by those
charged with planning development
of the Capital. 1t was described as
a s35,0O0,000 project. ''The cost of
the structure" said the House COM
mittee in its report, including all
incidental and appurtenant costs, is
$35,000,000. The committee was ad-
vised that in addition to this sum,
approximately $1,O00,00O would be
required for fill, grading and paving
a parking area for 10000 automobiles.
The committee has inserted a pro-
vision to require the cost of the park
ing area to be included within the
$35O00,OOO."
After this approval of the plan,
however, the President took a hand
in the controversy over the building
site-moving. it from the gates OF
Arlington Cemetery to another site
some distance away. This change
was accompanied by modification"
of the plans. The building was to be
reduced somewhat in size. The cost
was left uncertain, because General
Somervell was very frank in saying
that the construction on the new site
would be more expensive.
The costs as now revealed are Ger
tainly staggering. The building itself
has increased from $35,000,000 to
$40, ,194 900. Accessory roads and
parking lots will cost $8,641, ,416. The
cost Of other roadways, bridges, ETC.
In development Of public roads
highway plan-will cost 1884 900.
Terracing and landscaping will cost
$2,372,041-a total expenditure Of
$7o,ooo,000.
It is to be doubted if Congress
would have approved the building,
had these costs been known then.
But that is water over the dam. The
problem now is to make the building
and the collateral construction Of
highways, ETC., repay the Nation for
the dollars that have flowed so freely.
And it is in this connection surpris-
ing that while the traffic problem
to be created by this construction
was definitely foreseen, there is as
yet no plan devised for transporting,
cheaply and conveniently, back and
forth each day across two bridges,
the 10000 workers whom General
Somervell hopes eventually to place
in the worlds largest Office building.