Marginal notes on the defense industry in the long ago

April 30, 2009:

In the course of multiple and multifarious e-mail exchanges on any number of political topics with any number of people, I received an e-mail lauding the competence and dedication of scientists who worked for the various U.S. Defense Department development laboratories. The following is my response:

"I respectfully exempt the entire national defense establishment, government and private, from any and all criticism of government, which I indulge in from time to time. I spent years with two private defense contractors attending meetings, negotiating and whatever both internally and with the government and other contractors. I second everything (my interlocutor) says. What I carried away with me were the countless photos on desk after desk and cubible after cubicle of fathers, sons and brothers in the military. These folks all knew that what they were doing literally had life or death consequences for the nation and for their loved ones. Every day was zero defects day for these folks, so no one ever slacked or wavered.

"Defense had a high priority [through the end of the Viet Nam war], so nor only was morale high in the industry but the government supported this with funding equal to the task. Would these priorities were still so valued. The US is periodically handicapped by a fallback to the primeval feeling of security spawed by the barrier of two oceans. I worked with a French defense company as a co-venturer and as a client, and I soon learned that the French never (at least until 15 or so years ago) skimped on defense spending because they all know down to their bones that war is just a few miles away.

"Having said that, I can dimly remember in the long, long ago a junior private contractor employee just accidentally vacationing in a Hawaii condo next door to a Major he just happened to know while an RFQ was outstanding. On his own salary I doubt if the Major would have made it past Tijuana.

"I also knew a character, who among other distinctions was married for a while to Eva Gabor, who took a group of Greek Air Force officers to the Desert Inn for three days (I'm talking late '60's) and escorted them to the tables where, mysteriously, they all came away with substantial winnings. And then there was a brilliant Englishman, Alec Samson, who worked for British Aircraft Corporation in the heyday. Alec would spin spellbinding tale after tale about selling arms to Arab kings and sheiks over martinis at the RAF's London club.

"I've got dozens of them. Whatever happened to the good old days, anyhow?"