v. CONCLUSION

The solution ered~t for this particular problem belongs to no
OnO individual nor to
decentralizationof

-y

s~nglo

group

of

individuals. Controlled

through the normal S-ff

•uthor~tyworking

agencies of AnrIy,Navy, and Air brought into play an array of talent
and means which nmde ohild’s play of our most urgent requirements.

1

For example; Teat aonatruotioninoluded ereotion of three 200-foot
steel towers. These tomrs had been purohased previouelyby AEC and
-re

in storage ●t Sandia, New Mexioo. They had been speoially de-

signed for the job ●nd had no preview reoord of ereotion. Uere
they properly designed? Had all parts been delivered? What, if any,
dlffioultieawould M

encountered dufing ereotion? A test ereetion

seemed to be in order to that these and other queetione oould be ane. wered. Time wae pretsing. Soldier labor did not @arantee the ekllls
to do this job. Obviowly the thing to do was to employ oontraot
labor. The Chief of Engineers was ooneulted.

A

.

few minutes with

Brig Gen Bragdon, Chief of ConetruotionDivision, OCE, developed these
faota. Peter Kiewit & Sons, a highly reputable oonstruotion firm, were
doing work at Sandia, new Mexioo, for the Corps of Engineers. Peter
Kiewit and Morrison Knudeen, as joint venture contmotora, were performing

work for the Corps of Engineers in the Paoifio. These firme

had the facilities and tiwhow

to aooomplish this tower ereotion

job in nothing flat if they would undertake

to do it.

A few phone

oalls, two trips to Albuquerque, and a oonferenoe with Peter Kiewit
resulted in this aocepting a oontraot through the Western Ooean Division

75
Section XVI

I

‘:

Select target paragraph3