The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, Library of Congress . . . Hold it -- when did bibliophiles get mixed up with the military? Last year, it turns out, the library began working covertly with the Pentagon to arrange consulting contracts on weapons projects as a way to hide Defense Department spending.
The startling connection was disclosed last week by June Gibbs Brown, inspector general of the Defense Department, in hearings held by Ohio Democrat John Glenn, chairman of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee. Brown said the practice was designed to permit the Pentagon to avoid competitive bidding in hiring consultants,...