Of all the defense plants spotted around the U.S., few have been more tightly cloaked in secrecy than the Hughes Aircraft Co.'s sprawling (74 acres) layouts at Los Angeles, Culver City, Calif., and Tucson, Ariz. The Air Force was as close-mouthed as Howard Hughes, who makes Cal Coolidge sound loquacious. About all people heard was that the plants were doing vital work on electronic fire controls for jet fighters. What little, else they heard was disquieting. Two years ago, five of Hughes's top executives left in protest (TIME, Oct. 5, 1953); rumors buzzed that the Culver City plant was in...
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