History of Bolt, Berenek and Newman (BBN)

[Mike]

"BBN was a pioneer in developing computer models of roadway and aircraft
noise, and in designing noise barriers near highways"


Founded in 1948, by Leo Beranek and Richard Bolt, professors at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with Bolt's former student Robert
Newman, Bolt, Beranek and Newman started life as an acoustical consulting
company. Their first contract was consultation for the design of the
acoustics of the United Nations Assembly Hall in New York. Subsequent
commissions included MIT's Kresge Auditorium (1954), Tanglewood's
Koussevitzky Music Shed (1959), Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall (1962),
the Cultural Center of the Philippines (1969) and Baltimore's Joseph
Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1978).[citation needed] They have examined the
Richard Nixon tape with the 18.5 minutes erased during the Watergate
scandal[4] and the Dictabelt evidence which was purportedly a recording of
the JFK assassination.[citation needed]

The substantial calculations required for acoustics work led to an
interest, and later business opportunities, in computing. BBN was a
pioneer in developing computer models of roadway and aircraft noise, and
in designing noise barriers near highways.[citation needed] Some of this
technology was used in landmark legal cases where BBN scientists were
expert witnesses.[citation needed] BBN bought a number of computers in the
late 1950s and early 1960s, notably the first production PDP-1 from
Digital Equipment Corporation.[5] BBN was involved in building some of the
earliest Internet networks, including ARPANET, MILNET, CSNET, and NEARNET.

[Anthony Marsh]

On 8/9/2014 11:18 PM, Mike wrote:
> "BBN was a pioneer in developing computer models of roadway and aircraft
> noise, and in designing noise barriers near highways"
>
>
> Founded in 1948, by Leo Beranek and Richard Bolt, professors at the
> Massachusetts Institute of Technology, with Bolt's former student Robert
> Newman, Bolt, Beranek and Newman started life as an acoustical
> consulting company. Their first contract was consultation for the design
> of the acoustics of the United Nations Assembly Hall in New York.
> Subsequent commissions included MIT's Kresge Auditorium (1954),
> Tanglewood's Koussevitzky Music Shed (1959), Lincoln Center's Avery
> Fisher Hall (1962), the Cultural Center of the Philippines (1969) and
> Baltimore's Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1978).[citation needed] They
> have examined the Richard Nixon tape with the 18.5 minutes erased during
> the Watergate scandal[4] and the Dictabelt evidence which was
> purportedly a recording of the JFK assassination.[citation needed]
>

As a matter of fact this is the anniversary of Richar Nixon's
resignation and C-SPAN has been running some interesting shows about it.
They showed Rosemary Woods "accidentally" erasing one of the tapes and
then pointed out that experts [BBN] examined the tape and found that it
was erased on purpose.

[Herbert Blenner]

The report of BB&N contains several pivotal conclusions that directly conflict with their presented evidence. These anomalies strongly suggest that they wrote the report under duress. A later disclosure of a criminal investigation of BB&N officials during preparation of their report provides a reasonable explanation of these anomalies.

On October 31, 1980, two officials of Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc. (BB&N) became ill in a federal court as they faced charges of overcharging the federal government for contract work.

Judge Walter Jay Skinner asked the officials if they wished to waive grand jury proceedings prior to facing criminal charges when Harry R. Kirsch, senior vice-president of finance, collapsed. A short while later, Salvatore P. Luciano, vice-president of corporate services, suffered chest pains. Separate ambulances took both officials to the hospital. These officials were facing penalties up to 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine.

This case arose from a 2 1/2-year probe by the Justice Department. During this investigation, BB&N conducted their study of the historic Dictabelt recorded concurrently with the assassination of President Kennedy.

Most of the conflicts between the underlying evidence and conclusions hinge upon an understanding of electronics and signal processing. However comprehension of one conflict between the effects of changing playback speed of a tape upon the frequency and duration of tonal signals requires no specialized knowledge.

Acknowledgment

I am indebted to Anthony Marsh for bringing to my attention the following news story on the threatened criminal prosecutions of BB&N officials.

2 BOLT, BERANEK OFFICIALS COLLAPSE IN FEDERAL COURT
by Bruce A. Mohl, 10/31/1980

Two vice presidents of a nationally known Cambridge research firm fell ill yesterday as they appeared in US District Court to face charges they and their company overcharged the federal government on contracts.

Harry R. Kirsch and Salvatore P. Luciano, vice presidents at Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc., were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in separate ambulances. Both were admitted and later discharged to the care of their personal physicians, a hospital spokesman said.

The two men were standing side by side in court as Judge Walter Jay Skinner asked if they wished to waive grand jury proceedings when suddenly the 49-year-old Kirsch collapsed.

As court officials and Kirsch's wife went to his aid, an obviously shaken Luciano sat down with the help of his lawyer. Skinner then had the 50-year-old Luciano, who was suffering chest pains, lie down in his chambers.

After an ambulance crew arrived for Kirsch, Skinner returned to the courtroom and told the nurse who had been treating Kirsch to come to his chambers quickly because it appeared Luciano was having a heart attack. A second ambulance crew arrived and took Luciano to the hospital.

At one point during all the confusion, Judge Skinner discontinued the proceedings "until further notice."

Kirsch, senior vice president of finance, Luciano, vice president of corporate services, and Bolt, Beranek are charged in a 100-count criminal information with submitting false statements and overcharging the government in connection with federal contracts the firm held between October 1972 and January 1978.

The overcharges allegedly amounted to $2 million. "This matter has put them under considerable strain," said Stephen R. Levy, president of Bolt, Beranek.

The company faces a maximum penalty of a $1 million fine; the two company officials could get as much as 10 years in prison and a $20,000 fine. In a criminal information proceeding, the defendants normally waive the right to grand jury hearing and, in exchange, usually receive lighter sentences.

Earlier this week Bolt, Beranek announced it would plead guilty and would seek a fine of $500,000. The company's statement said the guilty plea "reflects the company's desire to end the controversy and to avoid a lengthy and costly trial involving complex government cost accounting and allocation principles."

Kirsch and Luciano had been expected to make known their plea at yesterday's court session. That session was preceded by a private conference between Skinner and the lawyers involved in the case.

After the conference, which reportedly dealt with the possibility of a plea bargain agreement, Kirsch's lawyer returned to the courtroom and told his client: "It's okay."

The case is the outgrowth of a routine government audit of Bolt, Beranek contract work, which set in motion a 2 1/2-year Justice Department probe, headed by Asst. US Atty. Kevin O'Dea.

It is uncertain what impact the case will have on Bolt, Beranek's future. Bolt Beranek currently derives nearly 80 percent of its $46.9 million in revenues from consulting work for the federal government, much of it for the Department of Defense.

But the research company is shifting its emphasis from consulting work to the manufacturing of computer products.

Bolt, Beranek's acoustics division is perhaps best known by the public. One of the "overt acts" listed to buttress the Justice Department's conspiracy charge alleged that one overcharge occurred when the firm analyzed the 18 1/2-minute gap on the Watergate tapes for Judge John J. Sirica.

Bolt, Beranek also analyzed a Dallas police tape recording of the shots fired during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The company's stock has dropped only slightly since the criminal information was announced Monday. Approximately 25 percent of the company's stock is owned or controlled by company officials. Another 17 percent is controlled by George Soros of Soros Fund Management.