Desio planned a far larger expedition than the American ones - the cost estimate of 100 million lira (equivalent to US$ million in 2019) was eight times greater than Houston's and three times greater than the successful 1953 British Everest expedition. It was sponsored by the CAI and it became a matter of national prestige, also involving the Italian Olympic Committee and the Italian National Research Council. The successes on Annapurna in 1950 and Mount Everest in 1953 had made an immense impact in France and Britain. Desio wrote the expedition will of necessity be organised along military lines - as in the 1950 French Annapurna expedition the climbers were all required to formally pledge allegiance to their leader. Scientific research - geography and geology - was to be as important as reaching the top of the mountain. Indeed, it seems that Desio, professor of geology at Milan, held climbers in rather low regard.