Ernest Graves
away. He resisted this technique. But in their culture, that's a perfectly accepted way
to go about things.
Q:
Just to go off briefly on this tangent of General Wells and the food service contract,
why not give it up straight away?
A:
The Corps' concept was that there were certain standards that you observe in
conducting your business by contract. The Corps has built these standards over time.
The Saudis had wanted to get the management technique of the Corps to run their
program to save money and to get it done efficiently, on time, and at a good quality.
The Corps was not over there to act like the engineering department of the Saudi
Ministry of Defense and Aviation.
We were not hiring the Corps people out as mercenaries to do the bidding of the
Saudis. We had a sales relationship where the Saudis said, "We want to build a building,
and we will contract with the U.S. government to have that building built under the
auspices of the Corps of Engineers."
The Saudis certainly would have everything to say about the design of the
building--whether it was blue or pink and all that. That's not the issue. But when it
came to managing the way the work was done, the Corps' view was that they were
hired to manage it in a way they knew. If the Saudis wanted to manage it their way,
they didn't have to have the Corps. They could get somebody else to manage.
This attitude has been the way the Corps has always felt, that they did not want to
become engaged in political manipulation or influence or anything. They did not want
to be party to that and should not be.
Q:
I just wondered if some wouldn't in that particular case, say, "Well, fair enough. We
manage construction and you do your food service without--"
A:
The truth of the matter is that then, and later, the Corps conceded to the Saudis quite
a few of these special requests. The situation evolved from the early days when the
Corps had absolute authority to one where the Corps accommodated the Saudis. After
all, the money was from Saudi Arabia, so it wasn't as if the U.S. taxpayers were being
taken by these practices. The Corps' position on this softened.
Q:
Yes. I could imagine a guy like General Wells just not wanting to sit and face the
western sun every afternoon.
A:
Yes, but I think the attitude of Wells and of [Major General James N.] Jim Ellis who
took his place and [Major General] George [R.] Robertson who followed him--the
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