I £6 HISTORY OF THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY 



Administrator, reported that soon after taking office he had a tele- 

 phone call from Representative Albert Thomas (Democrat of Texas), 

 chairman of the Independent Offices Appropriations Subcommittee 

 handling NASA's appropriations. Thomas said to Glennan: 



Doctor, I |ust want you to know how grateful I am that you're willing to come 

 down here and take on the duties that you're taking on, and I want to be as helpful 

 as I can. Now, Doctor, you're going to need some more research and development. 

 I just want to tell you that down there in Houston, there's an institution known as 

 Rice. 



Glennan said: "Albert, I know Rice very well indeed." 



At this point, Thomas mentioned that Rice had a sizable chunk 



of land, adding: 



I know Rice would give this land to the Government as a location for a research 



development laboratory. 



Glennan replied: 



But Albert, we don't need any more laboratories. We have all that we need at 

 the moment, and we're building one which was started before I came * * * out at 

 Beltsville. 



On subsequent visits to Capitol Hill, Glennan dropped in to see 

 Thomas, and "each time he would bring up this same matter and I 

 would turn it off." 



Glennan then reported: 



Finally, I had a call from him one day, and I would have to guess this would be 

 in the spring of 1959. 



"Doctor, about that research center matter down in Houston." 



I said, "Albert, you know, we've been over this several times and I have told 

 you very frankly that I can see no reason for spending money for this and until there's 

 a need — there may be at some point in time — I'm just not going to think about 

 asking for money for a research center. We're going to finish the one that we've 

 started." 



(Thomas responded): "Now, Doctor, let's stop all the horseshit. I've got your 

 budget in front of me." I've forgotten the number but I think he said: "There's 

 $14 million in there for Beltsville." 



I said, "Well, you know more about it than I do. 1 don't remember it in that 

 detail." 



(Thomas): "Well, let me tell you, Bud, you won't get a nickel of that unless 

 you put a research center at Houston." 



And 1 had sense enough to react by laughing and saying: " Now, Albert, I think 

 it's about time you and I went out and had a drink." 



Well, that ended it, and I never did have any more arguments with him about 

 that. 



Now, tunc passes and I go back to Case in Cleveland and Jim Webb takes over * * * 



So the word was out that there was to be a manned space center someplace, and 

 the Governor of Ohio called me one day and asked me if I would undertake to * * * 

 put together a story nominating Ohio as the site for this center. And I just broke out 

 laughing. I said: "You know, I suppose that there are 25 States doing just this at 

 the present time, and I'll lay you a year's salary that that center is going to Houston." 



