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Why Bomb Prill ?

Donald Carson

If some people are to become emotional about the odour of borer bombs then perhaps their concern may also extend to the odour of sweat and blood. It was the dealers in the latter at the PBEC conference that most attracted my attention for the Military-Industrial complex was well represented, along with local patriots like Dan Watkins of 245-T renown.

Delegates were here from the National Bank of Dallas (a substantial dealer in military funds) and from 4 of the top 40 US military contractors: Texas Instruments ($169,271,000 in defense contracts in 1968), Northrop Corp. ($310,256,000) Raytheon Co ($451,754,000 including $926,000 for its enigmatically titled subsidiary Raytheon Education Co) and last and the most brutal systems, the matter being one of system morality not one of personal etiquette, Byron Cullen take note. The products of this particular part of the system include such magnificent technical achievements as the Polaris and Poseidon missiles, the Cheyenne helicopter which will be used in Viet Nam just as soon as the army can be persuaded to buy some, the Star-fighter used so extensively by the West German air force in its kamikaze training flights, the Galaxy which can carry 130,000, live lobsters or 14 jet fighters to any of the world's trouble spots, NZ's Orion for spotting crippled Russian submarines and sundry planes and equipment for Viet Nam.

Between 1961 and 1967 Lockheed's defense contracts totalled $10,610,000,000 making it the number one defense contractor and only 12% of its sales came from civilian projects. The returns on investments were the highest of any major aerospace industry and its 210 retired high ranking military men negotiated semi secret contracts with their old buddies in the Pentagon for National Security. "We're proud of them says Prill.

Clauses on the Galaxy contract ensured that a second production run would return high profits if the first line cost was overrun. It overran two billion dollars. Defense Secretary McNamara inquired into the matter. He was sent false information to cover the affair up.

In the US senate warhawks like Richard Russell and Mendel Rivers campaigned for military spending. Russell said that if an Adam and Eve survived a nuclear holocaust then he wanted them to be Americans. When I spoke with Prill at PBEC he mentioned this individual in incredibly glowing terms. As to Rivers I was told to understand the slogan "Rivers Delivers" in its social context of South Carolina. He also said of a Johnson speech to the people of Georgia, telling them to be thankful to Russell for the Galaxy assembly to be undertaken there, as "unfortunate because it wasn't true."

However the halcyon days of cold war easy money have receded. Many Tri-Star buyers want out, Lockheed has had to pay for the overrun on the Galaxy and there has been no second run. There are threats of ICBM limitations. Lockheed's workforce is only 77% of the 1969 total. Rivers and Russell are dead. Senator Proxmire's investigations revealed so much about Lockheed in 1968 that it will always be closely watched in the US. Anti-military McGovern could become President. Lockheed is spending large amounts on research and is in the middle of an extensive diversification drive, its military contracts now totalling "round about 50%" according to Prill, a remarkably vague estimate from a man with a social conscience. Mr Prill appears disturbed about such losses and would like Lockheed to "make more profits to plough back into the community". He also mentioned Lockheed's concern for "our Negros" and its drug rehabilitation programe.

So not only does Lockheed appear to have changed its spots but shed its skin as well. It is the epitome of social magnaminity. Prill said "we have a civic duty unlike for example, cosmetics manufacturers, who are interested only in a profit."

Such benificence from a capitalist corporation cannot continue. There are already threats of litigation from shareholders. One way of having their cake and letting the American people eat it too, is to increase overseas sales. This is Prill's main job and the total military sales from all manufacturers has been more than Lockheed's output, substantial as even that is. Foreign Governments are potentially less wary than than the US and since the abolition of government-to-government contracts by the US in 1969, corporations have conducted their own overseas sales. The Japanese are rearming under US pressure and Lockheed products are offered to all "Free World" countries. Prill did not exclude military hardware exporting as result of his visit to PBEC, part of his civic duty scheme.

Thus if it has not already done so, NZ could become part of the US military-industrial complex, even though our $12,000,000 defence expenditure is paltry by US standards.

People like "I want more bodies" Westmoreland and David Packard, Under Secretary for Defence who owns $300,000,000 made out of defence contracts plus "bomb Haiphong Flat" Goldwater are all recent visitors to our shores.

Top contractors seem to transcend national boundaries. Prill knows many top "Russian capitalists" and was flattered when I compared him with Krupp, whom he knows. He however appeared to think that Lockheed and the US had some historic mission in the world and talked of workers' emotional response when the first Lockheed aircraft were rolled out to "fight for democracy"

VietNam also shows up the attitude of the top aerospace men. Prill is "against the VietNam war". I didn't press him further for fear of loosing my cool but it can be noticed that before "withdrawal" of troops US aerospace was making only $2 billion in contracts each year out of the war, so a bombing war would suit them much better.

So much of US foriegn policy and domestic spending must be seen in the light of the Military-Industrial complex. It is an integral part of the economy from the classified space projects to university grants. Lockheed has contracts related to both research at Wood- bourne in Marlborough and former projects at this university. In 1953 Lockheed made 71.4% profit before tax in military contracts. Such government extravagance resulted in the lowest post war unemployment rate ever and killed people in Korea. This is the system justified and propagandised by Billy Graham and "Readers Digest". The US current military budget is $84,000,000,000. A single nuclear submarine costs $540,000,000 at least. Meanwhile our Defence Minister rattles his sabre and promises the RSA more spending, and the students pour flour on their visitors.