Evening star., 1951-03-16
Pentagon Plan
Offices
HereIsProbed
House Subcommittee
Wants More Dutu
On Space Needs

A House Armed Services sub
committee today directed Defense
Department officials to supply
information which would justify
the leasing of three new apart
ment buildings in the Washing
ton area for expanded Office space
for the military services.
Specifically, the subcommittee.
headed by Representative Glenn
ente. Democrat. of New York,
asked why, with space at a pre-
MUM, a number of agencies re-
main in the Pentagcn. These
included:
The American Battle Monu-
ments Commission, housing agen-
cies for the armed services. the
motion picture services for the
Army and the All Force, the Navy
Department Employees Credit
Union and the Navy Department
Relief Fund.
Report May Be Adverse.
Chairman Clemente warned
that unless justification is shown
for these and other instances of
Pentagon use, the subcommittee
would have to report adversely
against the plan for the leasing
Of the three apartments. They
are the Boston House and the
State House. both on Massachu-
settS avenue NV. and Hunting
Towers. south of Alexandria.
Defense Department witnesses
said many steps already had been
taken to save space in the use of
Pentagon Offices and that others
were contemplated.
Col John E. Perman of the
Office of the Army Controller, and
R NJ Yingling, Army manage
ment officer, explained that some
of the agencies mentioned by
Chairman Clemente, either occu-
pied very little space or performed
services Of a valuable nature.
For instance, Mr.. Yingling said
that one Of such units was charged
with no actual Office space be-
cause only the use of a telephone
was involved and this on a part
time basis.
When Chairman Clemente asked
why the credit union had to be
located in the Pentagon, Col. Per-
man said that otherwise time
would have to be allowed en-
ployeS to go somewhere else to do
their banking.
To make space for the influx of
new defense personnel, Mr. Ying-
ling said. $500 persons were
moved out of the Pentagon be-
tween January, 1949. and June,
1850. He said the Army has def
mite plans to move non-current
files from the Pentagon to Rich !
mond and Alexandria.
The Army, Col. Perman and Mr.. (
Yingling said. also has moved
some Of it's Ordnance personnel !
to other locations, has sent some
Of the Engineer Corps work to
the scattered district Engineer
Corps centers. moved Medical
Center personnel to New York
and sent the Signal Corps Pro-
curement Section to Philadelphia
Finance Center May Move.
Also, they said, it was planned
to move the Army Finance Center
to Fort Benjamin Harrison next
year, but that this was dependent
upon provision Of funds for a
building there. 1t was estimated
this would save 10000 square feet
here and would involve transfer
of TOO to 800 persons.
Representative Bates, Republi-
can, of Massachusetts,, asked why
it was necessary to keep here
Army personnel records of the
adjutant general. Col. Perman
insisted this was necessary since
to move them would entail a
major change in personnel man
agement.
In order to save Pentagon space,
the Army witnesses said, files at
the Pentagon now are double
stacked in cabinets eight drawers
high instead of four.
The question of microflming
records also was raised. Mr..
Yingling said the cost of this was
higher than in the ordinary filing
system, unless the records were
to be kept for 13 years. Further
more, he said, most of the De-
fense Departments microfilming
facilities are being used for higher
priority purposes, such as the
copying of captured records, which
must be returned to other sources.