Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-04-23
House Probe
Seen Backing
Arms Systems
By the Associated Press

House investigators seemed
likely today to give their bless
irg--with reservations-to the
present system Of developing
military weapons.
A House subcommittee has
been looking into the armed
services increasing dependence
on big private industries to
plan and manage the develop
ment Of futuristic weapons.
The reservations may well
show up as pressure for COM
panies to open their books for
more inspection. The Pentagon
also may feel pressure to strip
some of its desks of military
men considered no longer to be
needed to ride herd on the
weapons developers.
Round Of Hearings
This was the outlook as the
House Armed Services Investi-
cations Subcommittee recessed
after a round of hearings on
weapons systems management,
with industry spokesman as
witnesses.
The services and the General
Accounting Office. Congress
own fiscal watchdog, are still
to be heard from before the
subcommittee writes its report.
However. remarks by men,
bers during the hearings and
private indications from sub
committe sources indicate the |
group accepts this basic mill |
tary-industry contention:
There is now only one prac-
tical way in which the Governs
ment can buy a nonresident
missile or similar weapon sys-
tem-that is, develop it from
an idea to a complicated col
lection of weapons that can be
produced in time and in suffi-
Gent quantity.
weapons System Manager"
That way, the contention
goes, is to pick a company with
the needed know-how as
weapons system manager"
acting for the Department of
Defense. Under some form of
cost-plus contract, it is guar
anteed a profit. though the
exact amount may be rene
gotiable.
1t subcontracts big and little
components of the work. 1t is
subject to check by the service
for which the work is being
done. However. Subcommittee
Chairman Hebert, Democrat of
Louisiana, observed during the
hearings, Il think this review
and check usually amounts to
initiating papers,"
The latest testimony given
the subcommittee was by eX-
ecutives of Lockheed Aircraft
Corp, now running the Nays
Polaris missile development.
What LOckheed Bosses
While the Navy retains super
vision of the overall missile
submarine complex, Lockheed
as missile system manager"
bosses:
/. Two huge subcontractors
-Aerojet-Genersl Corp. for the
missiles propulsion and Gen.
eral Electric Corp. for guidance.
2. Fifty principal subcon-
tractors, most of them sizable.
3. Nine hundred twenty three
other Subcontractors and sup
pliers.
Not all committee members
appeared convinced, but none
offered suggestions for an al
ternate way of operating.
But they did seize on testi-
mony that Lockheed has no
legal authority to examine the
books of its subcontractors-
some of whom on other jobs
are likely to be its competitors.
Under stiff questioning. Lock-
heed officials conceded that
ideally a better cost control
job might be done if they could
see the books, thought they
said they could direct Govern
ment auditors to them as
needed.
And Mr.. Hebert repeatedly
emphasized his opinion that
the Defense Department had
shifted major segmentS OF its
responsibility-but had kept |
the same layers of its own
personnel assigned to weapons
development.