Engineer Memoirs
make several studies to convince the people in Washington that we weren't adding to
the cost by our decision.
In this case, brick construction,we found, would be more expensive and take longer.
One of the reasons why I very strongly favored the tilt-up type, precast panels, was the
ease with which we could enclose a building once we put up the steel framework. In
the Houston area, which had a considerable amount of rain, this was very important.
Architecturally, the effect was also a pleasing one.
Q ..
What was the reason for wanting the brick?
A ..
Purely political. Pressure from the masons' union and the association of masonry
products.
Q ..
Did you find a great deal of pressure
President [Lyndon] Johnson when you were
in Southwestern District?
A ..
Personally, no. Certainly the White House got into this brick question, and he was
definitely instrumental in selecting Houston as the location of the Manned Spacecraft
Center, but that decision had been made before I arrived.
Q ..
Did you think that was the best location?
A ..
I think it was as good as any. I don't think it would have been possible to say that any
one location was better than all others. I think the decision to spread the program
across the
was proper, Certainly the community in Houston with the nearby
schools and other technical centers made it a good choice. No question in my mind, the
choice was political; but I don't know of any reason why another site would have been
better. It was fairly centrally located in the country with good transportation and in a
mild climate, of which were desirable.
Q ..
I believe that General [Daniel A.] Raymond in an interview said that he was in Mobile
with some NASA construction responsibility. And that, as he recalled, the first time he
really got to know you was in consulting over the NASA programs and similar
problems that you both might be having. Do you recall this kind of coordination?
Yes, I actually visited them. He had responsibility for the Huntsville program, which
A
had firing stands and things of that sort for actual test firing of some of the propulsion
systems. He dealt with a very strong individual, Wernher von
who had his own
ideas because he was more or less the father of the space system. I did, as you say, talk
to Raymond and others in Mobile about some of their activities.
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