224 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



Senator Symington, If you had had it installed before the storm 

 came up, do you think you would have had any of this trouble ? 



Mr. Rau. Well, I will say this. Senator : If we had installed it on 

 July 4 when we started to upend or started the preliminary operations 

 which we were hoping would upend it, and were not hit with a storm 

 on the night of the 4th, we wouldn't have had the trouble of losing 

 the braces and having to replace them. 



Senator Symington. When you saw that it was wrong, weren't 

 there discussions as to whether you should take it back to port or 

 whether you should try to fix it there ? AVasn't there any discussion 

 of that?' 



Mr. Rau. Yes, sir ; there was. 



Senator Symington. Tell us about that. Who discussed it ? 



Mr. Rau. Well, I discussed it with Commander Foster. 



Senator Syminton. What did he say ? 



Mr. Rau. As I recall, and I checked these with some of the men 

 who w^ere present at the time and in the discussion, that it was finally 

 decided that we would upend, and that a design of two diagonal braces 

 to be installed underwater would be made. 



Senator Symington. Who made that decision? 



Mr. Rau. As I recall, it was granted by the Navy. The decision 

 was given to me by Commander Foster. Whether he made it or made 

 calls or something, I don't know. 



Senator Symington, Did you feel at the time that it was the right 

 decision ? 



REPAIR AT SEA DEEMED THE CORRECT DECISION 



Mr. Rau. Well, sir, being out there in 1957 knowing the urgency 

 of getting the job done so that it would be put into the chain of 

 national defense, I think we felt it was the right decision ; yes, sir. 



Senator Symington. I think that is a good answer. 



The warrant officer of the Air Force, was he j>resent at this 

 decision ? 



Mr. Rau. I don't recall whether he was present at this particular 

 decision or discussion. 



He was more put on there by the Air Force to observe. I don't 

 recall his ever getting into discussing decisions or giving any decision. 

 I think he was just there for observation purposes and to familiarize 

 himself with the operation of the towers so that when the Air Force 

 took it over he would know w^hat it was all about. 



Senator Symington. Did you have any relationship in the construc- 

 tion of this tower with anybody in the Air Force from a contractual 

 standpoint or 



Mr. Rau. Until last June of 1960 we never had any relationship 

 with the Air Force contractually. 



Senator Symington. "^A^iat was your relationship last June ? 



Mr. Rau. Well, last June or actually, I think it was— may I refer 

 to some notes — actually some time in the latter part of May the Air 

 Force contacted us and told us that they wanted to install braces above 

 water and do some other incidental work. 



We, in turn, sat down with them and went over the work that they 

 wanted done, and finally we received a contract from the Air Force 

 on June 3, 1960, for performance work. 



