60 Minutes: All in the Family

Presented by 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft, All in the Family examines links between defense contractors and the federal government that deeply affect the Pentagon’s military contracting process. When the Army Corps of Engineers revealed that the Halliburton Corporation received a $7 billion no-bid contract to extinguish oil well fires in Iraq, there was public speculation that Vice President Cheney steered the lucrative deal to his former company. The government insisted Halliburton won the deal because it was best situated to perform the work. But Halliburton’s ties to the military were so strong that less politically-connected firms appeared to be at an enormous disadvantage in obtaining contracts. This investigation, produced by Trevor Nelson and directed by Arthur Bloom for executive producer Don Hewitt, also brings to light a broader problem—that government officials and advisors who make important military decisions often have existing financial ties to the companies that benefit from them, leading to military contracting procedures replete with conflicts of interest. For a precise and detailed examination of these issues, 60 Minutes: All in the Family receives a Peabody Award.