The Pentagon: A History (73 page)

Somervell liked it
Somervell, letter to William A. Delano, 11 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO.

Something else about a pentagon
“The Pentagon,” Sept. 1942, 15, Witmer papers, OSD HO (hereafter “The Pentagon,” Witmer papers); Leisenring, F&R interview, CEHO; Shelby Foote,
The Civil War: Fort Sumter to Perryville,
49.

I should absolutely refuse to live in a building of that type

Roosevelt made the first
Stimson diary, 29 Aug. 1941; Brinkley,
Washington Goes to War,
72.

Roosevelt had picked up
Downer letter to Delano, 2 Sept. 1941, NARA DC RG 66.

Roosevelt’s vision
Roosevelt,
Complete Presidential Press Conferences,
vol. 18, 127–29, 29 Aug. 1941.

“Well, Mr. President”
Clarke, oral history, 153–154, CU.

By the end
Downer, letter to Delano, 2 Sept. 1941, NARA DC RG 66.

I like that pentagon-shaped building

Bergstrom arrived
Washington Daily News,
3 Sept. 1941; Minutes of meeting of the Commission of Fine Arts, 2 Sept. 1941, microfilm, NARA DC RG 66 (hereafter CFA minutes).

“A pentagonal has never worked”
Ibid.

Paul Philippe Cret
Rhoads, “Franklin D. Roosevelt and Washington Architecture” “History of the National Naval Medical Center,” NNMC; Philadelphia Architects and Buildings Project Web site,
www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab
.

“If one gets into”
CFA minutes, 2 Sept. 1941, NARA DC.

Cret drew pencil sketches
Clarke, oral history, 152–53, CU.

Somervell beat the commissioners
Star,
2 and 3 Sept. 1941;
Washington Daily News,
3 Sept. 1941; “The President’s Day,” International News Service, 3 Sept. 1941; Pare Lorentz chronology, 2 Sept. 1941, FDR Lib.

At 2:15
P.M.
Clarke, oral history, 153, CU; Clarke letter and accompanying report to FDR, 2 Sept. 1941, NARA DC RG 66; Pare Lorentz chronology, 2 Sept. 1941, FDR Lib.

“You know, gentlemen”
Clarke, oral history, 153, CU.

A veil of secrecy falls

Late that afternoon
Roosevelt,
Complete Presidential Press Conferences,
vol. 18, 2 Sept. 1941, 133–35.

“It doesn’t seem reasonable”
WP,
5 Sept. 1941.

Somervell was cheery
Star,
4 Sept. 1941.

The press did not fully
Star,
2 Sept. 1941.

By Somervell’s reckoning
Somervell memorandum for the assistant secretary of war, 3 Sept. 1941, SDF, NARA RG 160.

Somervell told the press
Washington Daily News,
3 Sept. 1941;
Star,
3 Sept. 1941;
WT-H,
3 Sept. 1941; “The President’s Day,” International News Service, 4 Sept. 1941; Pare Lorentz chronology, 3 Sept. 1941, for Lib.

The afternoon of September 4
“Minutes of conference on New War Department Building,” 4 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO, FDR Lib.

There was one more
Somervell memo to Chief, Bureau of Public Relations, 4 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; Somervell memo to Surles, 5 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO.

A veil of secrecy
“The Pentagon Project—EHD,” 35, CEHO; F&R,
The Corps of Engineers,
437.

An army is marshaled

Word was getting around fast
Stanley Nance Allan, author interviews, 2003–06; Stanley Nance Allan, “Building the Pentagon,” lecture delivered to the Chicago Literary Club, 25 Nov. 2002. Allan went by the name “Joe” until after he left in Pentagon project in 1942.

McShain had developed
Brauer,
The Man Who Built Washington,
50.

Hauck was a Pennsylvania-born
WP,
Hauck obituary, 25 Jan. 1970; J. Lacey Reynolds, undated notes for “John McShain, Builder,” VII, subseries 1, McShain papers, HML (hereafter Reynolds notes).

Hauck was different
Polly McShain, author interview.

McShain’s treatment of Hauck
Reynolds notes, McShain papers, HML; Brauer,
The Man Who Built Washington,
134.

The biggest white elephant in creation

Roosevelt, after
Goodwin,
No Ordinary Time,
271–2; Jan Pottker,
Sara and Eleanor,
332;
NYT,
9 Sept. 1941.

In ordinary times
Frierson,
The Pentagon,
8; Goldberg,
The Pentagon,
44; Clarence Renshaw, memo to the Quartermaster General, 3 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; George Malcolm White, “The Pentagon Drawings,” 1993, 6.

The key to building
WP,
23 Jan. 1951.

as the contract required
Construction authorization, 6 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; Witmer planning memorandum, OSD HO.

The assembly-line
Ides van der Gracht, interview with George Malcolm White, 25–26 Jan. 1993, series 45.1, George M. White, RG 45, AOC (hereafter van der Gracht, White interview); McShain, address to The Society of American Military Engineers Philadelphia Post, 16 Mar. 1944, personal papers, McShain Papers, (hereafter McShain address to engineers).

Hauck would have overall
Ibid.;
Brauer,
The Man Who Built Washington,
82. Leisenring, F&R interview, CEHO.

At the site
WT-H,
3 Sept. 1941.

With groundbreaking
Reynolds notes, 42, McShain papers, HML.

On the eve
Architectural Forum,
Sept. 1941.

September 11, 1941

The heat finally broke
WP,
11 Sept. 1941.

The new construction
Pentagon project audit, 22 Aug. 1942, I, CEHO; Groves diary, 11 Sept. 1941, entry 7530G, NARA RG 200.

best part of the site
Groves letter to
The Journal of the Armed Forces,
23 May 1968, entry 5, box 1, NARA RG 200; Stacie Condrell, author interview, Sept. 2003.

Somervell had eight pile drivers
NCPPC minutes, 18 Sept. 1941, 71; “World’s Largest Office Building,” draft of article for
Engineering News-Record,
16 Sept. 1942, I, CEHO; McShain address to engineers, McShain papers, HML.

Regardless, the general
Somervell letter to William A. Delano, 11 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO.

Alexander Surles, the Army chief
Somervell, memorandum to Surles, 10 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; War Department press release, 11 Sept. 1941, SDF, NARA RG 160.

In fact, the construction
Office of the Quartermaster General, memo to Office of the Under Secretary, 9 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO.

Somervell was correct
Groves, “Notes on the Pentagon,” NARA RG 200; W. D. Styer, memo to Somervell, 12 Sept. 1941, SDF, NARA RG 160; “Population of War Department Building,” 7 Sept. 1941, Witmer notebook, Witmer papers, OSD HO.

Stimson received “disturbing news”
Stimson diary, 11 Sept. 1941.

At the White House
Burns,
The Soldier of Freedom,
139.

“The Nazi danger”
Roosevelt,
The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt,
1941 vol., 389.

Roosevelt announced
Stimson diary, 11 Sept. 1941; Burns,
The Soldier of Freedom,
141.

“[W]hen you see a rattlesnake”
Roosevelt,
The Public Papers and Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt,
1941 vol., 390.

Those damn pile drivers

The pounding was incessant
Allan, “Building the Pentagon.”

Major Gar Davidson
Davidson, oral history, CEHO.

The engineers had briefly considered
“The Pentagon,” Witmer papers, 22, OSD HO; Lt. Col. Hugh Hester letter to Julius Amberg, 12 Dec. 1941, I, CEHO; Frierson,
The Pentagon,
draft, 30; Allan, “Building the Pentagon” Allan, author interview; Condrell, author interview.

After a week they had sunk
Furman, author interview; NCPPC minutes, 19 Sept. 1941, 69–71.

This infernal hole

Somervell was indeed
WT-H,
8 Oct. 1941;
WP,
31 Oct. 1941.

The cool weather
WP,
1 Oct. 1941; Stimson diary, 16 Sept. 1941.

“We’ll have government clerks”
WT-H,
8 Oct. 1941.

On September 19, Groves ordered
Groves memo to Renshaw, 19 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; Hauck, letter to Renshaw, 23 Sept. 1941, I, box 17, CEHO;
Star,
13 Sept. 1942.

After two weeks
Edmund H. Leavey letter to Walter Wheeler, 3 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO;
Star,
10 Oct. 1941.

What was left of Hell’s
Furman, author interview.

Wrecking balls
Ibid.;
Renshaw letter to Civil Aeronautics Administration, 22 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; Furman, Notice to Flyers, I, CEHO.

By early October
Allan, author interview;
WT-H,
8 Oct. 1941;
WP,
31 Oct. 1941.

When construction started
“New War Department Building,” undated report circa 1942, 3, Witmer papers, OSD HO; Frierson,
The Pentagon,
16; architects’ historical memo, NARA RG 200; “The Army’s Giant ‘Five-by-Five,”
Popular Mechanics,
Mar. 1943. By comparison, 1.2 million cubic yards of earth and rock were excavated to build the World Trade Center.

The excavation and grading
Furman, author interview; “Equipment Maintenance on Huge Earth Job,”
ENR,
2 July 1942;
Star,
12 Oct. 1942;
WP,
6 and 13 May, 1942.

The Army had considered
Somervell memo the Chief of Engineers, 10 Sept. 1941, I, CEHO; Frierson,
The Pentagon,
17.

In the first weeks
“Concreting a 100-Acre Office Building,”
ENR,
4 June 1942.

More than one million
Renshaw, memo to the Chief of Engineers, 5 July 1944, I, 16, CEHO;
WP,
8 Nov. 1941.

We’d better leave town

The original plan
House hearing, 22 July 1941, 507.

The light-colored, fine-grained
Christina Pino-Marina, “Indiana Plant Makes its Mark on History,”
www.washingtonpost.com
, 11 June 2002.

“I am sure”
McShain letter to Groves, 30 July 1941, I, CEHO.

McShain had an ally
J. B. Reinhalter letter to Somervell, 28 Aug. 1941, I, CEHO; Voorhees, F&R interview, CEHO; Groves comments, second draft, Chap. 13, 4–5, CEHO; Somervell letter to Rep. J. Harry McGregor, 18 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

The limestone debate
F. E. Ross, “Architectural Concrete Work on the Pentagon Building,”
Architectural Concrete,
1943.

McShain and Groves thought it easiest
F&R,
The Corps of Engineers,
438; Ross, “Architectural Concrete Work on the Pentagon Building” Groves comments, second draft, Chap. 13, 4–5, CEHO; Leisenring, F&R interview, CEHO.

McShain was beside himself
Telephone transcript, McShain calling Groves, 21 Nov. 1941, I, CEHO; McShain letter to Renshaw, 2 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO; Groves, oral history with Pogue, second interview, GCM Lib.

Late on the morning
“The President’s Day,” International News Service, 11 Oct. 1941;
Star,
10 Oct. 1941; Edwin Watson, Memorandum for the President, 7 Oct. 1941, OF 25, FDR Lib.; F&R,
The Corps of Engineers,
437.

Next Bergstrom made the case
Telephone transcript, Groves calling McShain, 10 Oct. 1941.

The fight was not over
Ibid.;
Groves, oral history with Pogue, second interview, GCM Lib.; Groves comments, second draft, Chap. 13, 4–5, CEHO; Allan, author interview.

Inspecting the concrete
Telephone transcript, McShain calling Groves, 14 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

Groves pressed Somervell
Groves, oral history with Pogue, second interview, GCM Lib.

The president was “emphatic”
Somervell, memorandum for General Watson, 5 Dec. 1941, OF 25, FDR Lib.

“Well, it’s settled”
Groves, oral history with Pogue, second interview, GCM Lib.

McShain, who prided
Telephone transcript, McShain calling Groves, 21 Nov. 1941, I, CEHO.

It’s going to be a whopper

Newspaper and magazine reporters
George Holmes memo to Bureau of Public Relations, 7 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

Each face of the five-side
War Department press release, “General Plans Announced for New War Department Building in Arlington County, Va.,” 7 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

Reporters were further
WP,
8 Oct. 1941.

The “so-called basement”
Goldberg,
The Pentagon,
44; “The Pentagon Telephone Conversations—With General Groves Office—Feb. ’42–’43,” Renshaw and Groves, 30 Apr. 1942, I, CEHO (hereafter The Pentagon Telephone Conversations—Groves).

Indeed, no information
Star,
10 Oct. 1941.

Finally, leaving the White House
WT-H,
11 Oct. 1941.

Conferring with local architects
Star,
10 Oct. 1941.

The working papers of Witmer
“Population of War Department Building,” 7 Sept. 1941, Witmer notebook, Witmer papers, OSD HO.

Speaking to reporters
Star,
10 Oct. 1941.

Somervell told Roosevelt
Downer, letter to Delano, 2 Sept. 1941, NARA DC RG 66.

As for reporters’ doubts
Star,
10 Oct. 1941.

Skeptical reporters consulted
Washington Daily News,
13 Oct. 1941;
Star,
11 Oct. 1941. Though he had made no public announcement, Delano would soon tell Roosevelt he intended to retire from the commission he had fathered. The planning commission, Delano explained to his nephew, “no longer performed any planning functions” (Goldberg, “The Pentagon”, 28).

“It was finally decided”
WT-H,
11 Oct. 1941.

CHAPTER 8: THE VIEW FROM HIGH AND LOW

Lieutenant Furman’s blimp ride

Lieutenant Bob Furman waited
Furman, author interview.

The blimp was the only aircraft
Renshaw, statement on use of Washington-Hoover Airport, 13 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

Enterprise,
a 148-foot
WP,
2 Feb. 1936, 8 Nov. 1941, and 12 Feb. 1942.

Furman knew time
Furman, author interview.

Groves and Renshaw were impressed
Richard Groves, author interview; Alan Renshaw, author interview; Norris,
Racing for the Bomb,
287–88; Furman, author interview.

Now, as
Enterprise
Ibid.

Workers swarmed
Ibid.;
War Department aerial photograph, 22 Oct. 1941, Witmer papers, OSD HO; War Department press release, “New War Department Building,” 1 Nov. 1941, I, CEHO.

McShain and Bergstrom go to war

Back on the ground
Polly McShain, author interview; Telephone transcript, McShain calling Groves, 14 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

By October 28
Farrell, memo to Groves, 29 Oct. 1941, I, CEHO.

Every day Hauck
McShain address to engineers, McShain papers, HML; Polly McShain, author interview.

Further complicating
Engineer Memoirs—Casey,
41, 141. It was a fateful decision that took Casey to the Bataan Peninsula, where his engineering skills bought time for ill-equipped and outnumbered American and Filipino troops; he later escaped from Corregidor with MacArthur aboard a submarine to Australia.