This might have been posted before, but figured I'd throw it out for anybody interested. Wasn't sure just where to post this since it covers so many years but he talks about WWII so I'll go here. It's not short, but is a very interesting read if you're interested in Navy(U.S.) aircraft.
This gentleman started with the bureau in the 30's and retired in the 70's as the Evaluation Director, Naval Air Systems Command. He goes over the why's and wherefore's Navy aircraft procurement with some great side stories about different aircraft. Good, detailed explanation of how the Tomcat came to be. I like his first experience with the corsair, sharp learning curve