WASHINGTON -- January 14 -- Cause remains focused on the situation in Iraq, especially the reconstruction We continue to monitor the spending and accounting of reconstruction money and the contracts companies have won to rebuild Iraq's beleaguered infrastructure. So far, the administration's stewardship of the billions in reconstruction money has been marked by negligence and allegations of favoritism for companies like Halliburton, which Vice President Dick Cheney headed.

Common Cause has called for the creation of a special investigative committee to centralize the disparate inquiries and audits of the reconstruction spending in Iraq. Based on the highly successful Truman Committee during World War II, the special committee would provide valuable insight that would likely save the American government billions of dollars, just as the Truman Committee did 60 years ago.

Starting with the Civil War, practically every major American conflict has seen the establishment of a special commission to oversee defense contracts. In 1934, the Nye committee, headed by Senator Gerald Nye, investigated the role of U.S. banks and corporations in financing World War I through their support for the war prior to formal U.S. involvement. During World War II, Harry S. Truman turned a tiny committee with an initial budget of $15,000 into one of the most beneficial investigations in history. The National Archives describes the Truman Committee like this:

"The Special Committee to Investigate the National Defense Program was created on March 1, 1941, to study and investigate procurement and manufacture or construction of articles and facilities needed for national defense. The committee was specifically directed to investigate the terms of defense-related contracts, the methods of awarding them, the utilization of small business concerns, the geographic distribution of contracts and facilities, and the effect on labor, as well as other matters Truman served as the first chairman of the committee, which is commonly known as the Truman Committee.

"The committee earned a high reputation for thoroughness and efficiency From its creation in 1941 until its expiration in 1948, the committee held 432 public hearings and 300 executive sessions, went on hundreds of field trips, and issued 51 reports. Throughout World War II, the committee was principally concerned with monitoring and improving production programs, contract procedures, and, eventually, reconversion plans. Much of the committee's work involved the discovery and exposure of corruption and mismanagement in the wartime production program. After the end of the war, the committee turned its attention to an analysis of wartime experiences in order to make recommendations that would improve postwar and future national defense programs.

"The media showered the committee with favorable publicity. Especially notable was the national attention brought to its first chairman, resulting in his selection as the running mate of President Roosevelt in 1944 and his subsequent succession to the Presidency."

There is little doubt that a committee similar to the Truman Committee is not only appropriate for the current conflict in Iraq given the nature of the problems we have seen so far, but that it would save our government far more money than it would cost. Please visit our blog, and give us your feedbacks and comments on our efforts to hold the administration accountable for its stewardship of reconstruction in Iraq. You can also sign up for CauseNet to receive our most up to date information about our efforts concerning the situation in Iraq.

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