Lapas attēli
PDF
ePub

LETTER OF TRANSMITTAL

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
MILITARY OPERATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE

OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS,
Washington, D.C., November 21, 1969.

Hon. WILLIAM L. DAWSON,

Chairman, Committee on Government Operations,
House of Representatives, Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. CHAIRMAN: You referred to the Military Operations Subcommittee correspondence by two Members of the Committee on Government Operations regarding military assistance in the making of films by motion picture companies. A memorandum report was prepared by the staff in response to these inquiries. Copies were sent to the two Members who wrote to you, to the Members of the Military Operations Subcommittee, and to the Government agencies particularly concerned with this matter; namely, the Department of Defense, the military services, the Bureau of the Budget, and the General Accounting Office.

The reply from the Department of Defense, signed by Daniel J. Henkin, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs, states that the staff report is "comprehensive, objective and represents a thorough research of the subject." It also acknowledges the validity of the observations in the report that Department of Defense instructions regarding assistance to motion picture companies could stand revision in the interest of clarity and consistency. The matter presently is under review by the Department. The findings of our staff will be examined by all interested elements of the Department of Defense in conjunction with a forthcoming report on the same subject by the General Accounting Office.

In view of the importance of the subject matter, the interest shown by Members of Congress, and the improvements that are indicated from the standpoint of economy and efficiency, this memorandum report and the DOD reply are being made into a Committee Print, an action which you have approved. The printed memorandum report is substantially the same as the draft prepared by the staff under date of October 17, 1969 and transmitted to the aforementioned parties. Several paragraphs of introductory material have been deleted and sections of the memorandum have been rearranged, but the essential facts and findings are as presented in the October 17 draft.

This memorandum report, of course, does not necessarily represent the views of any Member of the Committee. The information therein has been compiled for the further use of the Committee and in connection with the official duties of the Military Operations Subcommittee. Also, it will be useful to Members of Congress who have expressed interest in this subject and to Government agencies involved in the policy and administrative aspects.

Sincerely yours,

CHET HOLIFIELD, Chairman, Military Operations Subcommittee.

[blocks in formation]

MILITARY ASSISTANCE TO COMMERCIAL FILM

PROJECTS

INTRODUCTION

Chairman Dawson referred to the Military Operations Subcommittee correspondence by two members of the Committee on Government Operations regarding military assistance in the making of films by motion picture companies. One was by Representative Rosenthal of New York on the film "The Green Berets" produced by Batjac Productions, Inc., with which John Wayne and his son are associated. The other, from Representative Weicker of Connecticut, refers to the film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" being produced by Twentieth Century-Fox. Both films bear on issues which are controversial, a contemporary one concerning Vietnam and an historical one concerning the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

OBSERVATIONS ON "THE GREEN BERETS" ISSUES

Mr. Rosenthal first requested the General Accounting Office to inquire into the authority, policy, and expenditures of the Department of Defense in helping Batjac to produce "The Green Berets." This request was made to the GAO by letter dated January 17, 1969, and the GAO, after inquiries in Washington and at Fort Benning, Georgia, where the film was partly made, replied six months later by letter and memorandum dated June 19. Mr. Rosenthal referred the GAO memorandum report to Chairman Dawson by letter dated June 26, and asked for its "early consideration" because of three issues: (1) Conflict between Presidential and Defense Department policy; (2) inadequate record-keeping and information on military assistance to film makers; and (3) the unresolved policy issue of what kind and how much assistance should be rendered.

Since Mr. Rosenthal initially requested the GAO to assemble the available facts on "The Green Berets" project, we did not attempt to go over the same ground. The issues raised in Mr. Rosenthal's letter also are involved in the "Tora! Tora! Tora!" project. At this point we comment briefly on these issues; they are amplified in the body of the report.

1. The first item refers to what apears to be a DOD exemption of motion picture companies from the policy of recovery of costs as set forth in Budget Circular A-25. We believe that the DOD instructions could stand some clarification and more consistency, one with another, as well as reconciliation with the Budget circular. Explicit attention should be given to the question whether, and to what extent, user charges apply to profit-making film companies; and the instructions covering assistance in such cases should spell out, by general statement and illustrative examples, the terms for identifying costs and levying charges. It would seem useful to have a user charge annex to the

« iepriekšējāTurpināt »