The Senate Preparedness Investigating Subcommittee was a subcommittee of the

United States Senate Committee on Armed Services The Committee on Armed Services, sometimes abbreviated SASC for Senate Armed Services Committee, is a committee of the United States Senate empowered with Congressional oversight, legislative oversight of the Military of the United States, ...

. It was created in 1950 during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

and its inaugural chairman was future President Lyndon B Johnson. Johnson was aware of the previous work of the Truman Committee in raising the profile of

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

and looked at the committee as a similar way to raise his profile. It conducted investigations of defense costs and efficiency. These investigations demanded actions that were already being taken in part by the Truman administration, although it reinforced the need for changes. Johnson gained national attention through his handling of media. Johnson ensured that every report was endorsed unanimously by his committee.https://concordhistoricalsociety.org/bipartisan-quadrille/ He used his political influence in the Senate to receive broadcast licenses from the

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

in his wife's name. After the 1950 general elections, Johnson was chosen as Senate Majority Whip in 1951 under the new majority leader,

Ernest McFarland Ernest William McFarland (October 9, 1894 – June 8, 1984) was an American politician, jurist and, with Warren Atherton, one of the "Fathers of the G.I. Bill". He served in all three branches of government, two at the state level, one at the ...

of Arizona, and served in this capacity from 1951 to 1953. Hearings of the committee held in the 1960s helped to popularize the Vietnam stab in the back myth.

References

{{US-Congress-stub Subcommittees of the United States Senate