HIGH -LEVEL BUREAUCRATS GET BARGAIN LUNCHES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79-00498A000100150074-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: April 20, 2001
• Sequence Number: 74
• Publication Date: December 9, 1971
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2001/07/12 : -~D /-OO498AOOO1OO15OO74-3
? By Nancy L. Ross
Wasr,icstottlostui3ff Writer
some federal officials are
eating beyond Uncle Sam's
means in their executive
dining rooms, sometimes
paying as little as $1.51 for
meals that cost $1.6.06 to pre-
pare, according to a report
released yesterday.
These cost overruns in
private governmental din-
in?, rooms web revealed in
a survey by the General Ac-
counting office that was
commissioned and made
public yesterday by yen.
Margaret Chase Smith.
This is the second tune'
the senator from Maine, who
.regularly cats a honlem;ade
cream c h e e s e and olive
sandwich at her desk, has
,one after government offic-
als for eating high off the
)ublic hog.
last November she caused
the executive lunchrooms at
the National Aeronautics
and Space Administration to
be closed after GAO found
that top NASA executives
(earning $24,000 a year and
up) were paying only 45
cents for meals that actually
cost $4.03.
Lest. visions of public of-
ficials downing duck a
l'oranr e and French cham-
pagne dance in the tax-
payer's head, it, should
quickly be noted the actual
cost of the food---and some-
times the resulting menus-
Is riot the main reason for
the problem. What does run
up the cost is labor--the
salaries of employees paid
to serve relatively few peo-
ple in exclusive surround-
The latest GAO - random
survey of departments and
agencies singled out the De-
partlnent of Transportation
as housing a greater overrun
than. NASA. While the space-
men's cost-price ratio was
94, the DOT ratio is 10-1.
Executives pay an average
of only $1.51 per meal as
compared to an average cost
'of $16.06 per meal. The cwt
does not include. the cost. of
space and utilities. But' what
Sen. Smith did not point out
was the actual cost of the
"food is also $1..51.
'Che Secretary, his aidc-s
(36' people) and guests are
the people authorized to use
the lunchroom. The Secre-
tary and the aides each pay
a $50 mcmbcrship fee and
average costs. But, asks
GAO, should the agency or
department be requii ed to
assume the labor cd ,ts'.
After the first G,':O i t ,f ?
tigetiou, 60 NASA officials
got together and (Jr? dc:d to
contribute $25 a mouth each
for their own food which
they buy from cornmercial
sources. Managerricnt was
given over to a nonprofit ci-
vilian colicession with the
result that total costs were
cut to $1.97 per meal. The
menu: soup, sandiwwich, salad,
desert and nonalcoholic hev-
er ge.
Grits as well as beaus and
hot ducts are often served In
the cxcscutive dining room
of John Connally's 't'reasury
Department. Yet the cost-
price ratio is 6-1. The GAO
says the 53 top-grrrle execu-
tives using the room pay $2
Apiece for luncheons that
C)
a 17 ri 1: _, ,i/a
are worth $14.31 when labor
is figured In. The dining
room has a full-time cook,
but its three waiters and a
dishcr?asher double as lites-
sengers and custodians to
save the government money.
Sen. Smith also claimed
that two agencies get free
liquor on occmdon from
stocks confiscated by the
Lureau of Customs. A Tresia-
ury official told GAO less
than two gallons of alcoholic
beverages frotu confiscated
Stock ~icre consumed during
fiscal 1071.
Other culprits sin ;led out
by G.'?C) were the Justice
Dcpartnient, where VIPs
pay S1.G6 for a meal worth
$7.10, and Interstate Corn-
merce Coruntission, where
tllu figures are $1.94 and
$3.53 respectively.
Only the Department of
Agriculture merited Sen.
Smith's compliments as "a
paragon of virt.ue." The ex-
ecutive lunchroom there
gets its food from 'the same
cafeteria as other employ-
ees. The officlalee p":y a sore.
ice charge of 25 Cents a
meal for waitress, eel?rice
that actually coots Iii cents fi
urea i.
. And tvliat about Sen.
Smith's os-ll Coll eaguees who
fancy more than a desktop
sandwich? The Down East
Reprthlir_irn replied she did
)lot Intend to iixclode the
U.S. Senl?te from scrutiny.
'Wye should be just as ac-
countable Anil j shall In-
clude the Senate in' the
amendment or i' acndmonts
that 1 offer to the appropria-
tions bill:,:" ..;,
Approved For Release 2001/07/12 : CIA-RDP7.9-00498AO00100150074-3
 Approved For-Release 2001/07/12 : CIA-RDP79-00498A000100150074-3
FROM: THE EVENING STAR - 9 DECEMBER 1971
a fill C(jl 11 V31
U n'.
ms C!jn V El OP (0, 0 ME,
E=`.\xe,. ?~ o r U O Q c, v a
Associated Press
In the executive lunchrooms
of government, 'meals conic at
bargain prices and, in some of
then,, the bosses get free
cocktails.
The General Accounting Of-
fice reported the cut-rate
luncheon tabs and said free
liquor, from stocks confiscated
by the Customs Bureau, is
served on special occasions at
the Treasury and the National
Science Foundation.
Sen. Margaret Chase Smith,'
R-Maine, made public the
findings yesterday, and said
she will sponsor legislation re-
quiring all federal agencies to average. executive lunchroom
submit to Congress annual ac= check there was reported at
countings of their executive- $1.51, with the average cost of
lunchroom operations. a meal figured at $16.06.
She said a 'private dining Personnel and service ac-
room for senators would be count for the major share of
covered, too. the cost reported by the GAO.
Six Agencies Checked Its report did not discuss the
The GAO report covered menus in executive lunch-
The
luncheon prices in executive At the Treasury Depart-
lunchrooms at six_ federal meat, the GAO said, the aver-
agencies, and found that in age charge was $2.45 for exec-
five of them, the average idtive lunchroom meals that
charge was far below the av- cost an average of $14.31.
erage cost to the government. Liquor Available
The Department of Trans-
portation topped the list. The "In addition to this, they get
free liquor on special occa-
sions, and these alcoholic bev-
erages are obtained from con-
fiscated stock," the senator
said.
The National Science Foun-
dation also was reported re-
c e i Vi n g confiscated liquor
from the Bureau of Customs to
be served\ in the executive
lunchroom on special occa-
sions.
At the Justice Department,
the average price of an execu-
tive-lunchroom meal was re-
ported at $1.66, the cost, $7.10.
At the Interstate Commerce
Commission, the IuncIt eon
checks averaged $1.94 for
meals costing an average of
$3.53.
"It is interesting to note that
one of the 12 ICC commission-
ers refuses to participate in
the executive lunchroom ar-
rangement," Mrs. Smith said.
She said the Agriculture De-
partment "is a paragon of vir-
tue," with its exceptive hmch-
1?uuui ;ittut, 1`111111 fro w III/!
i.ntrdi'f Ir wit'il Ii,/ 111111-11 Pitt
1it'1yL'b.
Approved For Release 2001/07/12 : CIA-RDP79-00498A000100150074-3
 Approved F
STATINTL
U CLASSIFIED CONFIDENTIAL SECRET
OFFICIAL ROUTING SLIP
TO
NAME AND A DRESS
DATE
INITIALS
I
NIL- ( a
2
3
4
5
ACTION
DIRECT REPLY
PREPARE REPLY
APPROVAL
DISPATCH
RECOMMENDATION
COMMENT
FILE
RETURN
CONCURRENCE
INFORMATION
SIGNATURE
Remarks
1 ~ a~G 19~
ER
FR DATE
1 3 EC 1971
UNCL SECRET
FORM NO. nQ7
1-67 GV I
Approved For Release 2001/07/12 : CIA-RDP79-00498AO00100150074-3