Glennan-Webb-Seamans Project Interviews, 1985-1990

Scope and Contents

The Glennan-Webb-Seamans Project Interviews consist of 193 hours of interviews with 26 individuals. The audio cassette tapes of these interviews have yet to be remastered and, due to their fragility, are unavailable to researchers. Transcripts are available to researchers, though there are restrictions placed on a number of them. A NASM staff member will advise the patron which transcripts are available for copying or viewing and how to order copies of transcripts and/or CDs.

Arrangement

The Glennan-Webb-Seamans (GWS) Project Interviews are arranged alphabetically by interviewee. Boxes 1-11 (Series 1) contain the interviews on audio cassette tapes. These tapes have yet to be remastered and, due to their fragility, are not available to researchers.

Boxes 12-16 (Series 2) contain the transcripts for these cassette tapes. Most of these transcripts are available to researchers, though restrictions are placed on a small number of them. Transcripts with user restrictions are highlighted in bold type.

Biographical / Historical

This collection contains the interviews of the Glennan-Webb-Seamans Project (GWS). These interviews analyze a variety of facets revolving around NASA management and its handling of contractors during the Apollo program. The individuals listed as part of this collection's name refer to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) first two administrators and the agency's deputy administrator during much of the 1960s. The principal (though, by no means the only) interviewer for this project was Martin Collins and the interview set consists of 193 hours of interviews with 26 individuals. These interview subjects represent some of the most influential decision-makers at NASA, the aerospace industry and academia. The following were interviewed for this project: J. Leland Atwood; Delmer Bradshaw; James Burnett; Paul Demitriades; Edward Doll; Peter Downey; Brian Duff; James Elms; James Fletcher; Robert Gilruth; T. Keith Glennan; Donald Jacobs; Ruben Mettler; Mark Miller; John Moore; George Mueller; Samuel Phillips; Simon Ramo; Robert Seamans; Willis Shapley; Abe Silverstein; David Soergel; Harrison Storms; James Webb; Thornton Wilson and Herbert York. Among the myriad of topics discussed in these interviews is the Apollo 1 [204] fire that killed astronauts Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967, during a test at the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida. The GWS Project constitutes one of a number of oral history efforts endeavors conducted by the National Air and Space Museum's (NASM) Department of Space History.