COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 133 



Mr. Kendall. Just a moment. Who participated in those discus- 

 sions ? 



Commander Foster. I am going back 4 years, sir, and I would 

 hesitate to pinpoint any particular person or particular place to 

 identify what I shall call a general discussion. 



Mr. Kendall. Well, you participated in it ? 



Commander Foster. As far as I am concerned, sir, the only discus- 

 sions that I had that had any meaning whatsoever were with Mr. 

 Steers, who represented the contractor, and Dr. Rutledge, who repre- 

 sented the architect engineer. 



Mr. Kendall. Did you discuss then whether or not you should 

 attempt the repairs on the site or return the tower to port for repairs ? 



Commander Foster. I am sure that this subject came up, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Commander, do you not know it came up? 



Commander Fositsr. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Did anyone, during the course of that discussion, 

 make a suggestion or reconxmendation that the proper thing to do 

 would be to return the tower to port for repairs? 



Commander Foster. A suggestion may have been made. It did 

 not emanate from either of the two people whom I said previously 

 were the ones whom I was primarily doing business with. 



Mr. Kendall. ^Yho made the suggestion? 



Commander Foster. I do not recall that it was made, sir, but it 

 may very well have been. 



Mr. Kendall. Do you say it was made or it was not made? 



Commander Foster. I say I do not recall such a suggestion having 

 been made, but it may very well have been. But there was, as I say, 

 considerable discussion on this subject at the time. 



Mr. Kendall. But your testimony here is that neither the architect 

 engineer nor any of his representatives nor the contractor nor any 

 of his representatives made such a suggestion or recommendation? 



Commander Foster. As I stated in my statement, sir, we discussed 

 the possibility of putting in the permanent replacement brace, and 

 agreed it could be done. This was the hinge on which the return to 

 port would have to turn. 



recommendation for returning to port for repair 



Mr. Kendall, Now, we shall go back to my question I asked a min- 

 ute ago. 



Commander Foster. Yes, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. Is the answer to my question "yes" or "no ?" I asked 

 whether you state here today that neither the architect engineer nor 

 the contractor nor any of their representatives made any suggestion 

 or recommendation that the tower be taken back to port for repairs. 

 That is my question. 



Commander Foster. That is a rather general question, sir. 



Mr. Kendall. That is a very specific question, sir. 



Commander Foster. It requires me to go back a long time in time. 

 I do not recall such a suggestion or recommendation. I am positive, 

 in the recollection of my memory, that it was not made by Dr. Rut- 

 ledffe or Mr. Steers. 



