Programmed to Fail - 1. Unification & 2. Program Budgeting
Acquisition Talk
Forstall and the War on Terrorism
The Research and Development Board tried to bring order to over 18,000 defense R&D projects. Forstall could not convincingly articulate the logic for decentralized competition. Despite his opposition to centralization, Forstall argued in his first annual report that the Secretary of Defense's authority should be materially strengthened. He struggled to control the rival risk services, reportedly leaving him weeping at his desk. There were allegations of nervous breakdowns. On March 1, 1949, President Truman asked Forstall to resign. Four days later, authorities reported that Forstall leapt from the 16th floor window and killed himself.
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