LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL 
PREPAREDNESS INVESTIGATING SUBCOMMITTEE, 
June 15, 1961. 
Hon. Ricuarp B. Russetz, 
Chairman, Committee on Armed Services, 
U.S. Senate. 
My Dear Mr. Cuatrman: At 7:25 p.m., Sunday evening, January 
15, 1961, Texas tower No. 4, one of three radar platforms serving 
as a seaward extension of our early warning radar system and located 
some 80 miles at sea, off the coast of New Jersey, collapsed or toppled 
into 185 feet of water in the Atlantic Ocean, taking with it the lives 
of 14 Air Force personnel and 14 civilian construction workers who 
were engaged in further repair of the tower. 
The Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee immediately initi- 
ated an inquiry into the reason or reasons for the collapse of the 
tower and the resulting tragic loss of lives. However, during the 
investigation, the Air Force announced that it was preferring charges 
under the applicable provisions of the Uniform Code of Military 
Justice against three of the Air Force officers in the immediate chain 
of command, presumably for failure to order a timely evacuation of 
personnel from the tower. The subcommittee, by unanimous agree- 
ment, decided to conduct hearings and render a report on certain 
phases of the investigation other than that phase dealing with the 
proper discharge of the responsibilities of these officers as military 
commanders in order to insure against any interference with or preju- 
dice to the judicial rights of those officers against whom the charges 
had been preferred. 
Accordingly, there is submitted herewith a report of the subeom- 
mittee dealing only with the design, construction, and repair of Texas 
tower No. 4, recognizing, of course, that in this form the entire cir- 
cumstances surrounding the tragic collapse of the tower are incom- 
pletely reported to you for the reasons stated above. Some consid- 
eration has been given to various aspects relating to Texas towers 
Nos. 2 and 3, which are still standing out in the Atlantic Ocean. 
The subcommittee will, however, continue to retain its jurisdiction 
over and keen interest in this entire matter until such time as all 
proceedings pertaining thereto shall have been finally concluded. 
Respectfully, 
JOHN STENNIS, 
Chairman, Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee. 
Vv 
