Aerospace company gold-nickel braze powder inventory control failure

Mid-1970s New England aerospace company. Turbine shroud honeycomb seals brazed with 82Au-18Ni alloy applied from a literal salt shaker (50-oz jars, ~$16,000/jar at $400/oz gold). Brazing supervisor doubled his requisition during a production scale-up, kept the rate after scale-down, and stole one jar/week for 16 months — $1.6M to $2.5M total. Caught by tip, not by controls. Tom hired by the insurance bonding company (not the aerospace contractor, which was on cost-plus) to audit losses. Connecticut thief got one-year sentence; New York middleman six months suspended; NYC fence walked.