THE EARLY MILLER YEARS ^17 



committee could justifiably recommend reductions, as noted in the 

 following colloquy: 



Mr. Karth. You tell us where the soft spots are. 



Dr. Fellows. In my estimation, there are no soft spots. You are proceeding on 

 the assumption that a budget has soft spots. 



Mr. Karth. There is quite a feeling among the Members of Congress that there 

 are some very inflated areas within the budget that could be removed from the budget 

 this year without hurting anybody. 



Dr. Fellows. My answer to that is simply the removal of funds must of necessity 

 slow down some element. 



Mr. Karth. You know you are going to get cut by the Appropriations Com- 

 mittee. We know this, you know it, and better than that, the Appropriations 

 Committee knows it. * * * We have got to either agree with you totally, or take 

 an arbitrary amount. * * * We would like to look a little more responsibly * * *. 

 If we were somewhat responsible and had some idea of what action we should take 

 which would better indicate our responsibility, it might in fact save you people 

 money. * * * Speaking as a friend of NASA, I just think you guys are heading for a 

 little trouble now and in the future years ahead unless you help this committee 

 which is your helper in the Congress. 



As time went on, Karth became tougher in his questions, more chal- 

 lenging in his attitude, and even portrayed open skepticism to elicit 

 reactions from witnesses. "Lengthy meetings such as this committee 

 hearing could tend to make us brainwashed," Karth sternly advised 

 Dr. Homer E. Newell on March 8, 1963, adding: "On occasion, the 

 witness may even feel that we are abusive." A few days later, he 

 warned Dr. Newell "to be completely candid and scrupulously honest," 

 and threatened that "once I think the committee should lose confidence 

 in the judgment or in the veracity of the statements or testimony that 

 is being given, I think, then, just because of the nature of the beast 

 that we do face — I think probably it would be extremely disastrous." 

 NASA witnesses reasoned that Karth's long background as a 

 labor negotiator made him suspicious of the "initial pitch" which so 

 often reveals labor and management presenting extreme positions. 

 Karth frequently pointed out, as he did one day to Dr. Newell, that 

 "There are few, if any, witnesses who ever appear before this commit- 

 tee in opposition to any one of Dr. Newell's programs * * * . If on 

 occasions we appear to be critical in our pursuit of getting information, 

 or in the manner in which we ask questions, it is only because I feel 

 more often than not we feel frustrated for lack of having the informa- 

 tion with which to properly compete with those who are sitting on 

 the other side of the table." 



CONSTRUCTION OF FACILITIES 



In July 1961, Col. Earl G. Peacock of the U.S. Army Corps of 

 Engineers was detailed to the committee staff. Working primarily with 



