THE OVERTON BROOKS YEARS, 1959-61 37 



Another member of the staff has had 16 years of congressional experience. Most 

 of the staff is composed of veteran members of the staff of the Select Committee on 

 Astronautics and Space Exploration which preceded this committee and worked with 

 House Majority Leader John McCormack in drawing up the Space Act of 1958 which 

 created NASA. The staff is a highly professional, competent, and nonpolitical group 

 which won the praise of Mr. McCormack and the other members of the select com- 

 mittee, both Republicans and Democrats. 



It is true that the staff is not composed of scientists and technicians. This is a 

 legislative committee and not a scientific body. However, there are several highly 

 competent men on the staff with broad technical knowledge and the committee 

 implements the work of these technical experts by employing scientists and engineers 

 as special consultants on a per diem basis. No effort is overlooked to supply the com- 

 mittee with the best technical advice possible. 



Nevertheless, the editorial had a more dramatic effect than Brooks* 

 written response. The chairman called in Mr. Ducander, and laid down 

 the law: no more Louisiana staff appointments. When a young lawyer 

 named Frank R. Hammill, Jr. (not from Louisiana) filed an application 

 for a staff appointment in mid-February 1960, he was hired with break- 

 neck speed. Suddenly, staff questions for members other than the chair- 

 man began to be circulated. The net effect of the scorching editorial 

 was generally salutary within both the staff and the entire committee 

 operation. 



GETTING THE COMMITTEE ORGANIZED 



The early days of January 1959 were bedlam for the new com- 

 mittee. "The 86th Congress, bursting its buttons with ideas and 

 Democrats, may be in for a historic run," predicted the Washington 

 Post. Catapulted into the space age, the new committee's biggest 

 problem was finding adequate space. While the staff was scurrying 

 around to borrow hearing rooms from the Veterans' Affairs Committee, 

 the Armed Services Committee, and making arrangements to use the 

 caucus room in the Cannon Office Building, the architects and car- 

 penters were frantically hammering away in room 214-B of the Long- 

 worth Office Building, across the hall from the basement cafeteria. Not 

 until mid-March were the makeshift rostrum and other arrangements 

 completed so the committee could have its own space. But the new 

 room was terribly cramped for both members, staff, and most of all for 

 the many spectators who crowded in, or tried to stand in the back. 



While the staff was rushing around to arrange for the parade of 

 witnesses, and getting the subject matter background lined up, they 

 also had to double as purchasing agents for the new drapes, arrange to 

 push out the typewriter repair shop which occupied part of the space, 

 and rush to get everything ready for the grand opening. 



