Instead, the official said that Schmitz created a new policy that made it more difficult to get information by subpoena by requiring additional bureaucratic steps. During his tenure, Schmitz also made it harder to initiate an investigation of a political appointee, requiring high-ranking approval before investigators could proceed.
A Lockheed Martin spokesman confirmed the company had received a request that the firm "voluntarily provide" information regarding Aldridge. It said it had "promptly and fully" responded to the request.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday September 30, 2005 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 0 inches; 28 words Type of Material: Correction
Pentagon watchdog -- An article in Sunday's Section A about former Inspector General Joseph E. Schmitz misspelled the first name of his son, Philip J. Schmitz, as Phillip.
Among other complaints about Schmitz, several senior officials also said he did not aggressively pursue more funds for the agency. Although the Defense budget jumped almost 30% between 2002 and 2005, the number of agents in the inspector general's office increased only 7%, from 307 to 329, according to department statistics. Investigations into procurement, healthcare fraud and environmental crimes have declined precipitously as agents focused on terrorism-related inquiries.
Some of the more unusual complaints regarding Schmitz deal with what senior officials called an "obsession" with Von Steuben, the Revolutionary War hero who worked with George Washington to instill discipline in the military. Von Steuben reportedly fled Germany after learning that he was going to be tried for homosexual activities.
Shortly after taking office, Schmitz made Von Steuben's legacy a focus. He spent three months personally redesigning the inspector general's seal to include the Von Steuben family motto, "Always under the protection of the Almighty."
He dictated the number of stars, laurel leaves and colors of the seal. He also asked for a new eagle, saying that the one featured on the old seal "looked like a chicken," current and former officials said.
In July 2004, he escorted Henning Von Steuben, a German journalist and head of the Von Steuben Family Assn., to a U.S. Marine Corps event. He also feted Von Steuben at an $800 meal allegedly paid for by public funds, according to Grassley, and hired Von Steuben's son to work as an unpaid intern in the inspector general's office, a former Defense official said.
He also called off a $200,000 trip to attend a ceremony at a Von Steuben statue earlier this year in Germany after Grassley questioned it.
