Oral history interview with Hugh Key conducted by Bob Bush on February 21, 1980 for the Ralph Roske Oral History Project on Early Las Vegas. Key discusses spending over thirty years in Las Vegas, Nevada. His wife, Mrs. Key, is also present during the interview and offers a few remarks.
Description given with photo: "Brewster Testifies At Hughes Inquiry, Washington: Sen. Owen Brewster (R-Maine) testifies before the Senate War investigating subcommittee August 6th. Behind him are, left to right, Howard Hughes and his attorney, T.A. Slack, of the Howard Tool Company. Credit (ACME) 8-9-47."
Materials contain photographs of the HK-1 Hercules, otherwise known as the "Spruce Goose" or the "Flying Boat," from 1942 to 1947. The photographs primarily depict the construction, transportation, and storage of the plane, but also include photographs of the first and only test flight of the HK-1 above Los Angeles Harbor in 1947. Howard Hughes designed the HK-1 as the world's largest plane, capable of transporting large quantities of U.S. military hardware and personnel. In 1947, under the program's new designation H-4 Hercules, Hughes had the plane transported from his factory in Culver City, California to Los Angeles Harbor. On November 2, he piloted the plane during its only test flight. The U.S. Air Force abandoned the controversial project, and Hughes was called to testify before the Truman Committee of the U.S. Senate to justify the use of government funds on a program that never succeeded.
Archival Collection
Howard Hughes Professional and Aeronautical Photographs
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Collection Number: PH-00321 Collection Name: Howard Hughes Professional and Aeronautical Photographs Box/Folder: N/A
Description given with photo: "Hughes Tells A Senator, Washington: At the close of today's session (Aug. 6), Howard Hughes (right) tells Senator Homer Ferguson (R. Mich.) (left), chairman of the Senate War Investigating Subcommittee, that he will have somewhere between 200 and 500 questions to ask Senator Brewster when the session resumes. Credit (ACME) 8/7/47."