GM Executive Reported to Be Choice for No. 2 Pentagon Post

The No. 2 job at the Pentagon will go to Donald Atwood Jr., vice chairman of General Motors Corp., sources in President-elect Bush’s transition operation said today.

Atwood, 63, is the top choice of Defense Secretary-designate John Tower to be deputy secretary of defense.

Transition officials said Atwood’s selection would be announced Tuesday. An aide said Atwood would have no comment on the report.

The New York Times said Sunday that Atwood was at the top of a list of contenders that includes William Paul, senior vice president for defense and space systems at United Technologies Corp., and Vincent Cook, a vice president at International Business Machines.

The deputy has responsibility for the Pentagon’s daily operation.

Atwood has filled management positions at GM for 27 years. As vice chairman of GM he supervises divisions that manufacture electronics and airplane systems for the Pentagon.

An engineer by profession, he has had experience running large industrial organizations, including GM’s truck and bus group and Hughes Aircraft Co. after GM acquired it in 1985.