The Bechtel corporation (Bechtel Group) is the largest building contractor of the USA. Bechtel with its company headquarters in San Francisco ranks at place six under the private business of the USA. Bechtel of 47,000 coworkers in 900 projects employed 2002 with a conversion of 11,6 billion US$.

Bechtel participated in the building of the Hoover dam into the 1930er years. It was likewise international at other complex building projects, including the canal tunnel, many pipeline, refinery and nuclear power station projects, the Bay AREA rapidly transit in San Francisco, the Jubail Industrial town center in Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong air haven, which Bostoner tunnel Big Dig takes part and starting from 2003 with by the United States Agency for internationally development (USAID) promoted reconstruction of the civilian infrastructure Iraq. The family Bechtel possessed the company since its establishment into the 1920er years. Bechtels size, its political influence and its slope for secrecy made it the steady goal for journalists and politicians for the 1930er years. Bechtel had close relations with official ones of the US Government including of Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush. The company possesses just as excellent relations with other governments, in particular to the Saudi king family.

Recently the company came into the criticism for stated Missmanagement of the Big Dig of project, its financial connections to the being shop family and the way, in which it received the Iraq reconstruction contracts after the US invasion into the Iraq 2003. Politicians in the USA and Europe raised corruption reproaches concerning the relations between the government of Bush and Bechtel.

For many years Bechtel for the privatisation of supply installations, motorways, airports and other traditionally publicly led mechanisms and enterprise occurs. The company possesses and operates its own power stations, oil refineries, water purification systems and airports in different countries including the USA, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. Bechtels long commitment with oil, river and water in overseas became the goal of the increasing Globalisierungsgegener and environmental movements.

Firm history

Beginning

Bechtel always worked as exempt private company. Its founder Warren A. Bechtel began 1898 as an employee of the budding US railway industry, after its Viehranch in Oklahoma made failure. In the following 20 years it developed a substantial building contractor, which was specialized in railway and building of motorways.

1919 established Warren and his brother Arthur Bechtel to the Klamath Highway in California. 1921 won Warren Bechtel and its partner the advertisement of the water tunnel for the Caribou Hydroelectric Facility in California. 1925 entered its sons Warren jr., Stephen and Ken into its company, which thereupon under W.A. Bechtel company firmierte. 1926 attained the new company the first important order, the Bowman Lake Dam in California.

The thirties

1928 discharged congress of US the Boulder Canyon Project act, in which the building of the dam of the Colorado River was decided. The plan possessed still the name at the beginning of "Boulder Dam ", but after some arguments it received "the Hoover Dam "(president Herbert Hoover honouring) to the names. The building was at that time largest building project.

In the next two years different companies lay in the competition for the building of the dam. In order to participate in the advertisement, the W.A. Bechtel joined company with its five competitors of a again-created "Six Companies corporation "(six-firm company). This working group was furnished only for the purpose of the building of the Hoover of dam and their united strength guaranteed the most attractive offer. At the 11. March 1931 selected the US ministry of the Interior the working group Six Companies for the building of the dam. The building of the Hoover of dam began at the end of of 1931 and 1936, two years before the schedule was terminated.

Warren A. Bechtel died suddenly during a journey abroad 1933, when the project was still unfinished Hoover dam. Its son took over the company as a president and remained in this position up to the follow-up by its son Stephen jr. 1947.

After the establishment of the Hoover of dam Bechtels call grew fast. Nevertheless Stephen Bechtel wanted to reach more with its company, than only one building firm. It decided, which had to take over the W.A. Bechtel company more complex engineering projects and oil contracts.

1936 established Bechtel 13 km long San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge. 1937 fused Bechtel with John McCones building firm to the Bechtel McCone company.

The Second World War

On 19 July 1940 president Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Two Ocean Naval expansion act (two-ocean naval expansion law), which planned the building of two large war fleets, ever one for the Atlantic and one for the Pacific. US maritime Commission selected Bechtel, in order their new threw for the Pacific fleet to build. Bechtel built the Bechtel threw in Sausalito, California and produced hundreds of cargo ships and oiling anchors for the US Navy. John McCones California Shipbuilding company attained likewise large and profitable ship construction contracts at the beginning 1941, which continued up to the end of the Second World War.

During in the USA the so-called "arsenal of the democracy "were established, made themselves American war strategists increasing concerns, which would happen, if the Axis powers got the world oil reserves under control. The Italian invasion from Libya to Egypt in September 1940 caused just as large concerns, as the Putsch in April 1941 in the Iraq, where with German support Raschid Ali aluminium-Gailani Prime Minister of the "government of the national defense" "of the golden square came "to the power, which was eliminated by British side however within fewer weeks.

After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 came the things on their boiling point. The war strategists came into concern, which the Japanese an invasion could undertake to Alaska and threaten the northern oil fields, which promised to become an important part of the American oiling system. In April 1942 the US army approved the building of the Alaska Canada Highway (ALCAN), which should facilitate the movement from troops and supplying to Alaska. After it the building of the CANOL oil pipeline was approved briefly.

The order for the CAN oil pipeline went to a partnership between the W to the working group Bechtel Price Callahan. A. Bechtel CO., the H.C. Price CO. and the W.E. call ancestor Construction CO. When the Japanese landed in June 1942 on the before the coast of Alaska, the building became urgent. Because of the unsatisfactory planning of the army and the Mismanagement of the contracting parties the CAN oil project floppte nevertheless completely. The pipeline devoured more oils than it gave and cost the taxpayer an enormous sum of money. In addition it became clear in the course of the time that the Japanese did not possess resources for an invasion in Alaska. The CAN oil pipeline was given up after bare 11 months.

During the American Vorkriegszeit at the end of of 1940 and at the beginning of 1941 came different scandals and reproaches into the public, according to which a set of contractors of public orders for defense into a widespread corruption were involved. On urge of senator Harry S. Truman furnished the US senate 1941 a committee of inquiry well-known for the national defense program, as "the Truman Committee ". This committee of inquiry, in which Truman had the presidency, examined two years Verschwendung and corruption in the defense industry.

The Truman Committee delivered 1943 a destroying judgement over 143 millions US$ the expensive CAN oil project, in which he considered it more harmful for the efforts of war than all acts of sabotage of the enemies. The judgement main header the working group Bechtel Price Callahan for their role with the cost overrun and the Mismanagement, which troubled the project, out. The committee of inquiry criticized later the shipyard industry for their war activities, inclusive fraud, bribery and other corruption forms.

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