ABSTRACT

In September 1974, US Representative Jack Kemp of New York requested that the General Accounting Office (GAO) investigate the costs of producing and distributing a US Air Force pamphlet entitled, "Hints from Heloise." The Logistics and Communications Division staff interviewed several officials of the Air Force Military Personnel Center and determined that the Career Motivation Division had produced the pamphlet as part of a program to encourage reenlistment. The pamphlet, a "collection of housekeeping, money-saving, grooming, and cooking hints," was designed for air force wives. The pamphlet, a "collection of housekeeping, money-saving, grooming, and cooking hints," was designed for air force wives. The GAO criticized the air force for failing to negotiate a more advantageous contract. The air force, the GAO reported, should have taken account of the popularity of the author's column in estimating public demand and subsequent costs.