SPACE SCIENCE, APPLICATIONS. AND ADVANCED RESEARCH. 1963-69 227 



to allow Assistant Deputy Administrator George L. Simpson, Jr., 

 to hear all the presentations by communities throughout the Nation 

 interested in the location of the Center. NASA went through the 

 motions, made several new studies, shuffled a great deal of paper, 

 and lo and behold, came up with the results of a study which verified 

 the conclusion that (surprise!) the most feasible location for the Elec- 

 tronics Research Center was the Boston area. 



With the NASA reorganization and the establishment of the 

 Office of Advanced Research and Technology on November 1, 1963, 

 jurisdiction over the Electronics Research Center passed from the 

 Karth to the Hechler subcommittee. Opponents of the Center, led by 

 Wydler, leveled a barrage of questions at NASA witnesses in 1964. 

 When Webb and Seamans appeared before the Hechler subcommittee, 

 Wydler asked Chairman Hechler if he would seek access to NASA 

 files on the choice of the Boston area for the Electronics Research 

 Center. During the discussion, Chairman Miller entered the hearing 

 room, and the following colloquy occurred: 



Mr. Hechler. If you care, as a full-fledged member of the subcommittee, to 

 direct such request to Mr. Webb, you are certainly within your rights. 



Mr. Wydler. But, Mr. Chairman, you are the one who told me to wait until 

 Mr. Webb appeared here to make the request. 



Mr. Hechler. I think that it is appropriate for you to make the request as a 

 member of this committee now sitting. 



Mr. Wydler. I am making it to you now, Mr. Chairman. 



Mr. Hechler. I can't produce the records, Mr. Wydler. Only NASA can produce 

 the records. 



Mr. Wydler. Will you, sir, request them for me? 



Mr. Hechler. I will be glad to try and help. Mr. Webb, I wonder if NASA 

 could produce these 



Mr. Miller. Before we get into this 



Mr. Hechler. Since the chairman of the full committee, Mr. Miller, is here, 

 Mr. Miller is recognized. 



Mr. Miller. I think this should go to the full committee. 



Mr. Rumsfeld. If the gentleman would yield, perhaps Mr. Webb would say 

 yes and solve this whole thing. 



Mr. Pelly. I think the chairman of the full committee himself has a prerogative 

 to request or not request those, and it is a determination that I would think properly 

 he would have made by this time. It is a matter that has been presented by the com- 

 mittee to him. That is a matter for the chairman himself to say he will request them 

 or not. Isn't that fair? 



Mr. Miller. I know it is your interpretation, Mr. Pelly. I have the prerogative, 

 and until I see some reason why in the limited field in which your subcommittee 

 must work in this, until I am convinced that there is some better reason than has 

 been given to me, I am not going to make the request. 



Mr Pelly. I think that solves the question. 



After NASA submitted its report on February 1, 1964, the full 

 committee met in executive session on February 24. Several minority 



