The Pentagon: A History
Read The Pentagon: A History Online
Authors: Steve Vogel
T
O MY PARENTS,
D
ONALD AND
J
OAN
V
OGEL
G
O SIR, GALLOP, AND DON’T FORGET THAT THE WORLD WAS MADE IN SIX DAYS
. Y
OU CAN ASK ME FOR ANYTHING YOU LIKE, EXCEPT TIME.
—N
APOLEON
B
ONAPARTE
Map by Laris Karklis & Brenna Maloney
Map showing Washington, D.C., Arlington County, Virginia, and environs in the summer of 1941.
Map by Laris Karklis & Brenna Maloney
Front Matter
The Pentagon and environs, December 1942, U.S. Army map (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History)
Front Matter
Map of Washington, D.C., in 1941 by Laris Karklis and Brenna Maloney
Front Matter
Pentagon timeline by Laris Karklis and Brenna Maloney
Front Matter
Irregular Pentagon sketch for early plot plan (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History)
Part 1
Photo of Somervell in 1941 by Harris & Ewing (
The Washington Post
photo archives)
Chapter 1
Somervell as bricklayer cartoon © 1941 by
The Washington Post,
reprinted by permission
Chapter 2
Stathes aerial perspective drawing (National Archives)
Chapter 3
Original site map (National Archives)
Chapter 4
FDR heaven cartoon © 1941 by
The Washington Post,
reprinted by permission
Chapter 5
Pentagon overlay on 1878–79 map. Original map: G. M. Hopkins, Griffith Morgan. Philadelphia: G. M. Hopkins, 1879, c. 1878 (Library of Congress). Overlay: Daniel Koski-Karell, Technical Report: Historical and Archaeological Background Research of the GSA Pentagon Complex Project Area, 1986. (Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Historical Office)
Chapter 6
Architects rendering, October 1941 (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Office of History)
Chapter 7
Aerial photo with blimp. U.S. Army photo (Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Historical Office)
Chapter 8
Aerial photo by Harry Goodwin, showing the Pentagon construction site right before Pearl Harbor © 1941 by
The Washington Post,
reprinted by permission
Chapter 9
Field progress report, May 1942 (National Archives)
Chapter 10
Soldiers in hallway, U.S. Army photo (Pentagon Library)
Chapter 11
Popular Science
schematic (Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Historical Office)
Chapter 12
Capitol from
Popular Mechanic
s © 1943 by The Hearst Corporation, reprinted by permission
Chapter 13
Somervell and Stimson cartoon © 1944 by
The Washington Post,
reprinted by permission
Chapter 14
Empire State Building graphic (Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington Historical Office)
Chapter 15
Pentagon tower drawing, U.S. Army (
The Washington Post
photo archives)
Part 2
Rendering of Pentagon memorial (Pentagon Memorial Fund)
Part 2
Officer in concourse showing Brazilian visitors model of the Pentagon, 1946 U.S. Army photo (
The Washington Post
photo archives)
Chapter 17
Photo of marchers in front of Pentagon (
The Washington Post
photo archives)
Chapter 18
Map of the march on the Pentagon by Mike Jenkins, Peter Jenkins, and Brad Goodwin
Chapter 18
Pentagon renovation logo, the Pentagon Renovation and Construction program (PENREN)
Chapter 19
The damaged Pentagon on September 11, 2001 (Department of Defense)
Chapter 20
The plane’s path on 9/11, adapted by Michael Keegan from an original 2002 graphic by Doug Stevens and Brenna Maloney in
The Washington Post,
reprinted by permission
Chapter 20
Aerial photo showing the Phoenix Project, Pentagon Renovation and Construction program (PENREN)
Chapter 21
Rendering of Pentagon memorial (Pentagon Memorial Fund)
(Ranks and titles are primarily as of 1941)
The Builders—Army
Brigadier General Brehon B. Somervell,
chief of the Army’s Construction Division, later commander of Army Services of Supply
Colonel Leslie R. Groves,
chief of operations and later deputy chief of Construction Division, later head of the Manhattan Project
Lieutenant Colonel Hugh “Pat” Casey,
chief of design for Construction Division
Captain Clarence Renshaw,
constructing quartermaster/engineer for the Pentagon project
Lieutenant Robert Furman,
executive officer for the Pentagon project
The Builders—Contractors and Architects
John McShain,
chief contractor for the Pentagon project
J. Paul Hauck,
job superintendent for the Pentagon project
G. Edwin Bergstrom,
chief architect for the War Department
David Witmer,
chief assistant to Bergstrom, later his replacement
Luther Leisenring,
chief of the architects’ specifications section
Ides van der Gracht,
chief of production for the Pentagon design team
Socrates Thomas “Red” Stathes,
a draftsman
Larry Lemmon,
a draftsman
The White House
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Harry Hopkins,
special adviser to FDR and former head of the Works Projects Administration
Major General Edwin “Pa” Watson,
the president’s military aide
Harold Smith,
director of the White House budget office
Harold Ickes,
secretary of the interior
The War Department
Henry L. Stimson,
secretary of war
General George C. Marshall,
Army chief of staff
Robert Patterson,
under secretary of war
John J. McCloy,
assistant secretary of war
Robert Lovett,
assistant secretary of war for air
William Hastie,
civilian aide to Stimson
Members of Congress
Senator Harry S. Truman,
Democrat of Missouri, chairman of Senate special committee investigating national defense; in April 1945 succeeded FDR as president
Representative Clifton Woodrum,
Democrat of Virginia, member of House Appropriations Committee
Representative Merlin Hull,
Progressive of Wisconsin
Senator Carter Glass, Democrat of Virginia,
chairman of Senate Appropriations Committee
Representative Albert Engel,
Republican of Michigan, member of House Military Appropriations subcommittee
Civilian Commissioners and Staff
Gilmore Clarke,
chairman of the Commission of Fine Arts
Frederic Delano,
chairman of the National Capital Park and Planning Commission and uncle to the president
William Delano,
member of planning commission; friend of Somervell’s and distant cousin to Frederic Delano
Hans Paul Caemmerer,
secretary of the fine arts commission
Jay Downer,
highway consultant, associate of Clarke and Delano
Paul Phillipe Cret,
architect and member of fine arts commission
Army Officers and Staff
Colonel Ernest Graves,
Corps of Engineers officer, mentor to Somervell and Groves
Brigadier General Charles “Baldy” Hartman,
Somervell’s predecessor as chief of construction
Brigadier General Eugene Reybold,
chief of supply, later chief engineer
Major General Edmund Gregory,
quartermaster general
Major Garrison “Gar” Davidson,
an aide to Groves and the former West Point football coach
George Holmes,
Somervell’s public relations man
Captain Donald Antes,
an aide to Groves
Brigadier General Wilhelm B. “Fat” Styer,
deputy to Somervell
Brigadier General Alexander D. Surles,
chief of the Bureau of Public Relations
Colonel Thomas F. Farrell,
executive officer to Groves
Brigadier General Thomas M. Robins,
Somervell’s replacement as chief of construction
Brigadier General Dwight D. Eisenhower,
chief of war plans; later Allied commander for landings in North Africa and Europe; Marshall’s successor as Army chief of staff
Lieutenant General Henry H. (Hap) Arnold,
commander of Army Air Forces
Major Franklin Matthias,
an aide to Groves
Navy Department
Henry Knox,
secretary of the Navy
Admiral Ernest King,
commander in chief of the United States Fleet
Workers
Stanley “Joe” Nance Allan,
a carpenter
Donald Walker,
a steelworker
Hank Neighbors,
a payroll witness
The First Pentagon Employees (“The Plank Walkers”)
Helen McShane Bailey,
administrative assistant, Office of the Chief of Staff
Marjorie Hanshaw,
secretary, Ordnance Department supply section
Opal Sheets,
“Miss 10,000,” administrative assistant, Services of Supply
Marian Bailey,
a telephone operator and later supervisor
Lucille Ramale,
file clerk, Transportation Corps
Henry Bennett,
clerk, Ordnance Department
Jimmy Harold,
assistant engineer, Ordnance Department field service