This is all very interesting. My (obviously flawed) understanding was that Hiller had the tender sewn up, but the process was subverted by Hughes and the OH-6 was chosen.
There followed a Congressional investigation which characterised the Hughes campaign as "booze, broads and bribery" and ordered the competition to be rerun. Hiller refused to take part and quit the helicopter industry. Howard Hughes was not prosecuted because he lost heavily on every machine he made for the military, and anyway he was by that time a raving lunatic.
Stan Hiller, who I believe is still alive, subsequently became a billionaire on the proceeds of his corporate rescues. I think at one time he had turned around 17 Fortune 500 companies. Furthermore he engineered the takeover of the Hughes Tool Company and profited hugely from the deal. Way to go, Stan.
I believe Jack Real has just written a book about his time with Hughes. Anybody read it? Does it shed any light on this subject?