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84 The Dorian Files Revealed: a Compendium of the NRO’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory Documents after he (Dr. Flax) had approved in each case, “with an information copy simultaneously going to General Berg,” and that the Director of Special Projects “must comply with overall system integration and overall system engineering instructions from General Berg concerning the integration of the payload into the complete MOL system,” etc. However, Dr. Flax also determined that, since the DORIAN payload was “an NRO payload,” General Martin would be held responsible to him “for development, acquisition, and test, including decisions as to the configuration of the payload. 15 The fact that he had little control over the payload portion of the program remained troubling to General Schriever. In October, at his direction, Evans and his staff drafted a paper on the MOL organization to “clarify” the management principles outlined in the 24 August plan. Their view was that, unlike previous “black” projects, where the reconnaissance sensor itself was “the major element around which overall system integration is postured,” MOL was different because of the introduction of man into the system and because of “the currently expressed national policy of overt and unclassified admission of the existence of MOL.” Consequently, the suggestion to conduct MOL as a covert program was denied, although “conduct of covert activities within the program itself” was not. Because of this special nature of the program, they argued that MOL was different from other NRO activities and that the Director, MOL, was and should be responsible for “all” its aspects. According to this interpretation of the 24 August management plan, “guidance and direction issued by Director, MOL is clearly competent and authoritative, not only for the ‘white’ aspects of the MOL program, but also for ‘black’ aspects—those which interface with the NRP.” This was believed consistent “with the spirit and intent of MOL management since it would preserve a single, clear line of direction” and permit integration of “black and white” guidance and direction at the most effective management level. 16 The above viewpoints were submitted to Dr. Flax in a paper titled “Procedural Considerations for MOL Program Management.” Dr. Flax in turn asked General Stewart, the Director of the NRO Staff, for his comments. After reviewing the paper, General Stewart suggested a number of changes and in a memorandum to General Evans on 18 October 1965, he suggested that Generals Berg and Martin also be asked to comment before a proposed new management directive was submitted to Flax and Schriever. In early November, after the comments of Flax, Stewart and Berg were incorporated, the “procedural considerations” paper was submitted to General Martin for his comments and/or concurrence. 17 On 12 November Martin responded with a lengthy critique sent to Dr. Flax and General Schriever, in which he challenged and disagreed with the basic thrust and intent of the paper. He argued that, in view of guidance he had received from Dr. Flax, he retained complete responsibility for development, acquisition, and test of the MOL reconnaissance payloads in the same manner as the other NRO payloads. He rejected the view that MOL was different from other NRO programs because of man’s presence or the policy of publicly admitting the existence of the project. He said: The MOL reconnaissance sensor dominates the entire configuration of this project. Its influence is far greater than the presence - of man, even in the “manned-only” configuration. The requirement of manned/unmanned capability further extends the influence of the reconnaissance sensor on the configuration of the project... My present MOL responsibilities are assigned to me by the Director, NRO, who has informed me that he holds me responsible for carrying them out. I, therefore, cannot agree with the “procedural principles’’ as written in the draft. I submit that it is axiomatic that my direction should come to me from the person to whom I am responsible for carrying it out, with no intervening modification of interpretation, and with no constraint on my direct access to such person for questions, clarification, response or discussion of such responsibilities and direction. 18 To ease some of the MOL Director’s complaints, however, General Martin proposed adopting some alternate procedure: which would be consistent “with the present assignment of responsibilities. “Thus, for example, he suggested that when Dr. Flax sent him written guidance or direction, an information copy be simultaneously provided to General Schriever. Copies of messages and letters sent from his office to Flax similarly would be dispatched to the MOL Program Office. 19 Martin’s stand killed the plan to change the existing dual management structure. General Stewart, however, argued informally with Evans that they would follow the Martin-Berg arrangement. It was his view that all MOL program direction should be issued by the MOL Director, requiring only that instructions sent to Mart in first have Dr. Flax’s (or his authorized representative’s) concurrence, and that the flow of information upward should go through the same channels. Subsequently, General Stewart assigned Colonel Battle to General
Chapter IX - ORGANIZING FOR CONTRACT DEFINITION 85 Evans’ staff to provide the necessary NRO-MOL Program Office coordination. By late 1965 the entire management question went into limbo and not until many months later, when the program entered Phase II engineering development, was the organization revised. 20 MOL Financial Procedures Discussions of “black” MOL financial procedures began in the summer of 1965 when the NRO Comptroller {... } proposed that the Air Force include a single MOL program element in the defense budget which would incorporate both “black” and “white” funds, with the MOL Program Office exercising a substantial level of control over the former. {The NRO Comptroller’s} plan became the basis for a series of discussions and reviews which led, on 4 November, to the signing by Dr. Flax and General Schriever of a formal agreement governing “MOL Black Financial Procedures.” 21 Under terms of this agreement the NRO Comptroller and the MOL Program Office would work together to prepare current and future year cost estimates of MOL black requirements. These would be reviewed and approved by both the Director, NRO, and Director, MOL, before issuance. The responsibilities of the Director of Special Projects would include providing “black” cost estimates, coordinating with the Deputy Director, MOL, and forwarding them to the NRO Comptroller and the MOL Program Office. Authority to obligate the “black” funds would be issued by the NRO Comptroller directly to the Director of Special Projects, who would be held accountable for them. 22 A companion agreement on “White Financial Procedures,” approved by Dr. Flax and {the NRO Comptroller} in December 1965, also was promulgated. Signed by Assistant Secretary of the Air Force Leonard Marks, Jr., it provided that MOL white funds would go through normal AFSC channels to SSD for the MOL Systems Office. The “white” financial agreement also outlined procedures for making budget estimates, preparing program change proposals, and submitting other financial papers required by OSD, the Bureau of the Budget, and Congress. 23 The MOL Systems Office The day President Johnson announced the United States would build MOL, General Schriever dispatched Program Directive No. 65-1 to the Space Systems Division. This document, which provided authority “to establish and commence management functional activity for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory System (Program 632A),” required the Deputy Director, MOL, to submit by 15 September 1965 a MOL Systems Office management plan, organizational charts, job descriptions of key positions, etc., plus an Aerospace Corporation management plan in support of the program. 24 The program directive was received by the MOL project office, which had been created in March 1964 under General Bleymaier, the SSD Deputy Commander for Manned Space Systems, and Colonel Brady, the System Program Director. By August 1965 this SPO had a staff of 42 military and 23 civilian personnel. In accordance with Schriever’s directive, Bleymaier and Brady immediately initiated an office reorganization. The realigned SPO included separate divisions or offices for Program Control, Configuration Management, Engineering, Test Operations, Procurement and Production, Requirements, Bioastronautics, Facilities, and Navy liaison. On 23 September, after General Berg, the new Deputy Director, briefed him on the proposed new MOL Systems Office structure, General Schriever approved the changes, which became effective 1 October. 25 (See chart, next page.) On 28-29 September, General Schriever held the first MOL Program Review Conference at SSD, attended by General Evans, Funk, Berg, Martin, and Bleymaier and Dr. Yarymovych, Colonel Brady and Aerospace’s Drs. Ivan Getting, Allen F. Donovan, Byron P. Leonard, and Walt Williams. They discussed the planned approach to MOL field management and agreed that the basic principles enunciated in the AFR 375 series of regulations would be applied. The conferees recognized, however, that judgement would have to be exercised “in that the MOL was not going into the operational inventory in the typical sense; and, hence, the series of regulations could not be totally adapted to the MOL program.” Later, General Schriever formally authorized Berg to deviate from standard system acquisition policies and procedures in the 375 series of regulations. 26 During this meeting Aerospace Corporation officials briefed the USAF officers on their planned organizational structure for general systems engineering and technical development (GSE/TD) support of MOL. They indicated they would establish a MOL Technical Director within
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The DORIAN Files Revealed: A Compen
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Center for the Study of National Re
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Contents v Contents Foreword.......
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Contents vii Chapter XII: Congress,
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Foreword ix I am pleased to see the
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Preface xi The Dorian Files Reveale
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Introduction xiii President Lyndon
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Introduction xv as determining the
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Chapter I - Early Space Station Pla
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Chapter II - A National Space Stati
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Chapter III - DYNA-SOAR KILLED, MOL
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Page 52 and 53: Chapter IV: PLANNING THE MANNED ORB
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Page 76 and 77: Chapter VII: THE LABORATORY VEHICLE
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Chapter XIV: NEW FINANCIAL AND SCHE
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Chapter XV: THE PROJECT TERMINATED
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Chapter XVI: POST-MORTEM
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Supplemental Documents InDeX
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