34 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



(Charles) Sheldon,'' said Fcldman. "I just went all out, only for one 

 reason, that was because Sheldon was not only dedicated but he knew 

 more about this than anybody else and he was far and above anybody 

 that they could have, or get." 



Brooks decided to keep Sheldon, Spencer Beresford, Richard P. 

 Hines, Raymond Wilcove, Harney S. Bogan,Jr., and Philip B. Yeager 

 all members of the loyal and dedicated select committee stall. They 

 were all present at the creation of the standing committee, contributed 

 a great deal toward launching the committee, and all had euphoric 

 memories of the idyllic days when working for John McCormack had 

 been such an inspiration. This fact alone caused unfortunate compari 

 sons which affected staff morale. Also, Sheldon and Beresford had 

 high hopes of moving up to the two top posts on the staff. They were 

 rudely disappointed. 



During the period when Rayburn, McCormack, and Vinson were 

 negotiating to move Brooks from ranking Democrat on the Armed 

 Services Committee to chairman of the new Science and Astronautics 

 Committee, Brooks did a lot of soul-searching with Charles Ducander, 

 his Shreveport staff counsel on the Armed Services Committee. Ducan- 

 der had been with Brooks since 1949- "Duke" advised Brooks that 

 if the latter were ever going to realize his ambitions for the gover- 

 norship or the Senate, "he would have to get out from behind Mr. 

 Vinson." Finally, Brooks told Ducander: "Well, I've made up my 

 mind. I'll go over and take that chairmanship if you come with me." 



Ducander balked. He was getting no advance in salary, and was 

 moving from a happy situation into an unknown jungle of tangled and 

 uncertain relationships, led by a chairman who could not hold a 

 candle to Carl Vinson in power, prestige, and respect. But there was 

 no slipping out. According to Ducander: 



Mr. Vinson called me in and said: "Duke, you've got to go Now ii anything 

 goes wrong, you can always come hack." 



With Vinson, that was not a request or a suggestion; it was an 

 order. 



So it was that early in January 1959, Charles Ducander became 

 executive director and chief counsel of the new standing committee. 

 Brooks named Sheldon as technical director, Beresford became special 

 counsel, Yeager was called special consultant, and the other staff 

 members were given titles ranging through various degrees of "con- 

 sultant" or "counsel." John Carstarphen, a Shreveport lawyer, was 

 brought in to serve as counsel (he later became chief clerk and counsel) 

 and several other • Louisiana residents were recruited in relatively 



