lKi>\\! riCS ^ND rRANSPORTATION 761 



Mr. Symington. Has IX) I' taken up this challenge? Are they investing their 

 commensurate sums to make up foi \ \S As dropping (QUESTOL)? 



Dr Fletcher. DOT is in a state ol ilu\ at the moment. The leadership has 

 changed FAA leadership has changed, and so it is going to take them a little while 

 to get back on their feet. 



Mr. Symington. Well, of course the leadership changes, but we are talking about 

 great truths, aren't we? They run like a steady stream through the bureaucrats who 

 tell the new leaders what is happening. 



When NASA officials reiterated how important QUESTOL technology 

 was, Symington wanted to know why then had $26.4 million been 

 been cut from the budget: 



Somehow the magic of your program continues without any money. It we could 

 do that with the Shuttle, think how much we could save. 



As the subcommittee moved into more intensive consideration of 

 the aeronautics funding for NASA in 1973, Hechler reflected on the 

 failure of the committee in the late 1950's to place more funding into 

 aeronautics "when the tremendous emphasis on space tended to push 

 aeronautics and support thereof into the background." He said that al- 

 though encouraged by remarks made by Dr. Fletcher in prior years, 

 "this year it appears there is less to be encouraged about." He hastened 

 to point out: 



And by mentioning Dr. Fletcher, the Administrator of NASA, I do not intend to 

 indicate or infer that it is his sole responsibility that some of these reductions have 

 been made. 



Nineteen hundred and seventy-three earmarked the first year that 

 Wydler moved up to take over Pelly's slot as ranking minority member 

 of the subcommittee. Wydler made these observations as the subcom- 

 mittee hearings got underway: 



My general reaction to the aeronautics situation, Mr. Chairman, is that we are 

 not making progress in this area at all. I know how hard you have personally worked 

 over the past few years to try to get some type of support for a strong aeronautics 

 program within the Federal Government. I realize we apparently have made some 

 progress — at least it looks like that in the past few years — but the present budget 

 when you analyze it cuts out the one major project we had for the future, which was 

 the QUESTOL project. * * * One thing you have accomplished, I think, and which 

 this committee has accomplished has been to get a lot of people in the Government 

 and on commissions to agree that civil aviation is not being treated properly and is 

 not being given the importance it should get. * * Perhaps the hearings will bring 

 out something more hopeful than this very grim and pessimistic-sounding analysis 

 which I have just given of this year's aviation R. & D. budget. 



SUBCOMMITTEE CHAIRMANSHIP AS A SHARED EXPERIENCE 



In 1973 Hechler revived a practice which he had begun in the 

 early 1960's when he first became a subcommittee chairman — to allow 



