Glenn L. Martin Company

The Glenn L. Martin Company was the manufacturer of the B-26 bomber examined by Truman’s Senate committee during its investigation of wartime production. Its case showed how congressional scrutiny could turn a technical shortcoming into a direct challenge over a defense contract—and how the committee could use that contract to demand corrective action.

Role in Wartime Production

The committee questioned the cause of problems with the B-26. When the company’s head, Martin, appeared before it, he acknowledged that the bomber’s wings were not wide enough. The testimony brought a specific design concern into the committee’s broader examination of the difficulties and failures that could arise in the war effort.

The B-26 Inquiry

Truman asked why the wings had not been fixed. Martin replied that the plans were already too far along and that the company already held the contract. Rather than accept those reasons, Truman said the committee would see that the contract was ended if that was Martin’s position. Martin then said he would correct the wing size.

Contract and Accountability

The exchange made the contract a practical instrument of oversight: the committee’s demand was backed by the possibility that the manufacturer could lose the work. The evidence records Martin’s agreement to correct the wings, but does not specify when or how the change was carried out. In the committee’s account of wartime production, the episode stands as a focused example of its effort to press contractors to address deficiencies rather than treat an existing contract as a reason to leave them unresolved.