228 COLLAPSE OF TEXAS TOWER NO. 4 



Senator Symington. In your office ? 



Mr. Rau. Yes, sir. 



Senator Symington. At that time was Mr. Kuss there, too, at that 

 time? 



Mr. Rau. Yes, sir. Well, to start with, the morning of the 12th, 

 after we asked almost every day from the 8th to the 12th the capa- 

 bilities of the tower, and all, our Mr. Koch talked with Mr. Kuss, along 

 about 10 o'clock on the 12th 



Senator Symington. Ten o'clock in the morning ? 



Mr. Rau. In the morning ; yes, sir. It was that time that Mr. Kuss 

 indicated this 55-percent capacity after the wire bracing was in place. 



percentage of toaver's remaining strength given 



When Mr. Koch gave me that information, as soon as he got off the 

 phone, v^hy, 1 sat down and discussed it for a few minutes, and I 

 told him that I had been thinking of the tower all week, and that 

 since we were having that meeting this morning at 11 o'clock, that 

 is, on January 12, that I was going to recommend evacuation. 



I called Mr. Kuss up myself and asked him exactly what he meant 

 by 55 percent. 



Senator Syimington. You say you told them ; who did you tell be- 

 fore you called Mr. Kuss ? 



Mr. Rau. About evacuation or recommending evacuation ? 



Senator Symington. You said you told them. 



Mr. Rau. Well, I was talking to our engineer Bob Koch, and Mr. 

 Steei-s actually stopped in my office, and I told him then that I 

 thought we should recommend evacuation. 



Senator Stennis. All right, pardon me just a minute there. I 

 don't know that the witness has understood about our situation. For 

 reasons we don't need to repeat now, we have agreed that we would not 

 go beyond the conferences of Januaiy 12, in this hearing. I want to 

 apprise you of that now so that you may understand it. 



Mr. Rau. Yes, sir ; I do. 



Senator Symington. Mr. Chairman, I understand that. But I do 

 think it is in order to ask the witness if he recommended evacuation. 

 He built it. We haven't asked to whom he recommended — what I 

 am trying to find out is the relationship between the Government 

 contractor, the designer, and the producer. 



Senator Stennis. Pardon me, the Chair has ruled with you. The 

 question was asked properly, and I think answered, and that is what 

 I wanted to apprise the witness of. 



Senator Symington. I have never seen Mr. Rau before in my life, 

 to the best of my recollection. But the testimony shows that he was 

 in contact daily with the designer by phone, and the designer never 

 went down and looked at it; that at a certain point as a result of 

 what the designer told him about the percentage from the structural 

 aspect, he decided he would recommend evacuation of the tower. 



Senator Stennis. That is in the testimony; that is what he testi- 

 fied to. 



Senator Symington. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I have no further 

 questions. 



Senator Stennis. I think that is the proper cutoff point, and I 

 think that testimony is very relevant. 



