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Though he had previously claimed that North American Aviation was the original selection of the 190-man NASA board to receive the Apollo contract in 1961, Webb changed his story under questioning by Senator Margaret Chase Smith. The truth was, he admitted to the committee, that the Martin Company had been the first choice because of its superior "technical information." But he and three of his assistants, he said, overruled the board's recommendation—logically enough—on grounds that North American had more space experience, and had submitted cost estimates that were 30% to 40% lower than Martin's. The biggest howl against Webb was raised when he refused repeatedly to discuss in open session a NASA staff report that was harshly critical of North American's early work on the Apollo. The problems of workmanship and management have since been corrected (TIME, May 12), Webb maintained, and to make them public now would only hamper NASA's relationship with North American.
Outside Distractions. "I think you have an obsession with secrecy, Mr. Webb," snapped Representative John W. Wydler of New York. Added Representative Ken Hechler of West Virginia: "I intend to be much more skeptical of NASA in the future, on this program and others."
Webb did testify that North American's share of the $23 billion Apollo project is being cut back. The California-based firm will continue as prime contractor, while Boeing has been selected to put together the spacecraft and the rocket boosters; a third firm will be chosen to make custom modifications on the 16 standardized capsules to be produced by North American under the original contract. "In this way," he added, "North American will be spending all its time on one standardized spacecraft without any outside distractions."
Of necessity, the space program will always suffer outside distractions from a Congress and public aroused by the Apollo tragedy and concerned about the huge costs of achieving man's age-old dream of conquering space. But now all the investigations have been made, the reports presented, hearings concluded. As Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. said earlier this month at a celebration of the sixth anniversary of his Mercury flight: "The time for recrimination is over. Let's get on with the job."