Engineer Memoirs
much or more experience in actual construction and its supervision as anyone who
might have gone into the position. From that point of view, there was no particular
worry; I felt I had the background to do the job.
I think the experience at the experiment station in managing what was essentially a
civilian organization, as the experiment station was at that time, gave me the
opportunity to be well acquainted with the Corps' method of operation. From my
experience in
I was also familiar with both the military and civilian side of the
Corps and the system of planning civil works projects.
Certainly,
had good experience in dealing with the Air Force, and we would be
responsible for its construction in that area. My feeling was that it was not a particularly
traumatic new experience but simply a move into a broader level of responsibility for
which the assignments of the last few years had pretty well prepared me.
Q ..
One of your
projects there was to provide NASA support and to help direct the
Johnson Space Center construction at Houston. Did the Corps get these projects
because of its experience? Of course, it already had some NASA work under way at
that point.
A
Again, I think General Wilson is probably the best qualified to answer this question in
detail. My understanding is that with the formation of NASA as a new organization,
Mr. Webb,
had been head of OMB [Office of Management and Budget], was
designated as the administrator.
He, realizing the task of beginning a space program while trying to put together the
facilities needed to support it, looked around to see whom he could call on to assist
him. From his experience in OMB, he was aware of the Corps' countrywide operation.
My understanding is that he entered into an agreement with General Wilson for the
Corps to be the construction agent for NASA with assignment to the appropriate
division of the facilities that were in that division's area-South Atlantic for Cape
Canaveral and
Southwestern for the Houston center, and South Pacific for
activities on the West Coast.
A coordinating office was established in OCE with General Hayes designated to be in
charge and to work with NASA headquarters. While it was a unique system, what we
built at Houston was, in effect, a technical college campus on what had been a cattle
ranch. When I arrived in Dallas and made my first visit to Houston, they had just started
digging a few trenches to put in utilities in an open field. This then became the Manned
Spacecraft Center for coordination, control, and training of the astronauts for the
manned space program.
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