The fact that we are fighting three (3) wars at the moment (don’t try to tell me that those ‘drone planes’ in Lybia don’t represent a direct military strike) has me inevitably reflecting on the truth that we, America, are a militaristic nation first and foremost. In a previous post, we learned about the place that the venerable Altec tube compressors played in cold-war ear civil defense warning systems, an important role that no doubt led to the relative bounty of these devices today. Which leads to an intriguing question: how does an audio-equipment manufacturer get involved in high-level government defense contracting? Seems like a bit of a stretch, even in our highly militarized society. I mean, I don’t expect that Digidesign is making data-mining apps for the CIA….although as I type this, I realize that I am likely naive in this regard.
Anyhow, I found an answer to the question of Altec’s prominence in military/civil defense within the pages of the slim volume depicted at Left. “TRADERS GRAPHIC” (h.f. “TG”) is a private-press investors-guide from 1960. The cover price on this hand-stapled 32pp volume is $5, which would be $38 today. TG is essentially a tip-sheet which alerts potential investors to publically-traded stocks which have ‘major growth potential.’ In January 1960, one stock which TG endorsed was Ling Electronics; and the primary reason given for this endorsement was Ling’s recent acquistion of Altec Electronics.
Nice use of the little star type-pieces as a paragraph break. Anyway, prior to their purchase of Altec, what was Ling involved with? Read below for the full details, but I can sum it up as: vibration testing of ICBM and other missile components, as well as (then-novel) closed-circuit television systems for retail spaces. I.E., video surveillance. Realizing this, it makes perfect sense that we would soon see Altec audio equipment in government-contracted defense applications. Which, again, accounts in part for all the old Altec equipment that we still use today. Kinda cringing as I type this, but this really is proof yet again that the industrial base of any society (in the case of America, military/defense) will always find a way to inform all other aspects of that society (in the case of us, dear readers, music recording and listening – The Arts). Follow the link below for the full text on Ling from “TG.”
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Ling was the Ling in LTV (Ling-Temco-Vought) if I'm not mistaken. They built huge high power amplifiers and transducers for shake tables, and aircraft flutter testing. Flutter is a phenomenon which results when aeroelasticity sets up a positive feedback loop and an aircraft, whole or in some part (such as a movable control surface) oscillates in a greater and greater amplitude motion until it breaks itself apart. LTV was the successor to Vought and I think Republic as well. I know Republic Steel in Chicago became LTV Steel. Temco was a small aircraft manufacturer that built one underpowered trainer plane. Vought was the very successful manufacturer of WWII and Cold War fighter planes.
I believe Nancy Ling Perry was a member of the Ling family in question. She was an attractive but nutty radical killed in the SLA shootout in 1974. I believe one of the cops on the other end was Jim Dougherty, who was in the famous picture perp walking Patty Hearst-and also was the Dougherty (as) in Norma Jeane Dougherty, a then 16-year old he married to keep her out of the orphanage. Better known today as Marilyn Monroe.