Evening star., 1961-03-07
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star Science Writer

Star Science Writer
In the headlong space age,
Aerospace Corp. stands as a
subtle indictment of the
Governments frequently cum
bersome administrative pro-
cedureS.
"You can accomplish things
o lot faster outside the Gov
ernment," says DR.. Ivan A.
Getting in justification of the
existence of the burgeoning
new concern he heads.
DR.. Getting took over as
president of Aerospace last
August, just two months after
it was formed Ito serve as the
technical army Of the Air Force
in .balliStic missile and space
programs" A nom profit con-
cefn with a $50 million oper-
ating budget, ,Aerospace has
about 1000 employees working
on GeNe.Ensm ent programs
worth-nearly So billion.
Like a medieval priestly
"power behind the throne, "
Aerospace seeks no personal
preferment, owns no personal
possessions-and wieldS tre-
mendous Influence. That this
influence will increase as Aero
space grows in size and scope
Of operations can hardly be
doubted.
& Other Agencies Aided
tAerospace does not stand
alone as corporate device to
help the Government elude the
nkt of its own red tape. Some
what similar-but not exactly
pafallel-purpases are served
by, these corporations in the
interests of these agencies:
institute for Defense Analy-
sis (IDA) for the Department
ofDefense.
Operations Research Office
Of Johns Hopkins University
(QRO) and Human Resources
Research Office of George
Washington University (Hum
RRO) for the Army.
Applied Physics Laboratory
ofsthe Johns Hopkins Univer-
Sity 'APL) for the Navy.
Iet Propulsion Laboratory of
the California Institute of
Technology. eJPD for the Ma
tional Aeronautics and Space
Administration.
The Rand Corp, of Santa
Monica. Calf, theoreticians
and philosophers by special ap-
potntment to the Air Force.
AL serve on a cost or cost
pitts basis to help the Govern
mSnt do what it cannot do, or
hire whom it cannot hire, BY
itself.
Seek Efficient Setup
SAerospace Corp. is a logical
Development in the Air Forces
coAstant search for the most
efficient organization forms, -
Gen. Thomas D. White, Air
Force Chief of Staff, is quoted
as Saying in an Aerospace pro-
spsctus. Gen. Whites clear in
dicAtion that the Air Force
cannot find efficient organiza-
tion within the Government is
only one of two sharp implica-
tions in this sentence.
another is contained In the
words constant search" Aero
space came into existence only
after an earlier relationship
between the Air Force and one
Of sits earlier corporate hand
matdenS came under the scru-
ting OF Congress. Space Tech
nopgy Laboratory, Inc. (STL)
was the concern in question.
Separation Case
SIL had full access To
secrets of both the Government
and private industrial contrac-
tors on the projects-such as
Atlas, Titan and Minuteman-
which STL was supervising
This was all right but for two
things:
I. STL was a corporate
foster-child of Thompson
Ramo-W Woodbridge, which in
turn was a successor corpora.
ton of Ramo-W ooldridge
Corp, the Air Forces first
management consultant.
TRY was deep in the
space-hafdware business, anc
STL wanted desperately to gel
into this lucrative field, too.
Some persons ought
probably with some justifica-
tion-that a continued All
Force-STL relationship would
enable STL to take advantage
Of its competitors, many OF
whose proprietary secrets were
ALREADY in STL's possession
Congressional curiosity along
this line was the deciding fac