Summary
Investigation of Pentagon's procurement
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Extract
The case for the $435 hammer.
the CASE FOR THE $435 HAMMER
"You want how much for abeer?!' asks the patron of a bar in the cartoon strip "Motley's Crew.' "Four bucks,' the bartender replies. Says the patron: "That must be the same outfitthat sells hammers to the Pentagon.' Claw hammers, to be exact. The kind you buyat your local hardware store for between $7 and $10; billed to the Pentagon for $435 a piece. In the three years since the story broke, the $435 hammer has become synonymous with waste in the Department of Defense (DOD). From Beetle Bailey to Walter Mondale, everyone has expressed outrage at this apparent swindle. The hammer contract has been investigated by Congress, discussed during the 1984 presidential debates, and used as Exhibit A by poli...See the full content of this document
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