232 “ruthless and barbaric”: Hearings, House Armed Services Committee, The National Defense Program: Unification and Strategy, Oct. 1949, pp. 183–89.
232 Radford testimony: Ibid., pp. 64–65.
232 A-bomb on Washington Airport: Ibid., p. 170.
233 Navy on A-bombs at outset: E.g., memo, L. D. McCormick, Acting CNO, to JCS, “U.S. Military Position on the Employment of Atomic Weapons,” July 24, 1951, Records of JCS, CCS 385 (2-22-51), Sec. 2, NA/MMB.
233 “rigidly pre-planned”: E.g., memo, Deputy CNO (Ops) to CNO, “Atomic Air Operations in Support of the Joint Operational Emergency War Plan,” Dec. 17, 1951, Arleigh Burke Papers, A16-10 Atomic Warfare Operations folder, Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.
234 “expressed as”: Burke, introduction to NAVWAG-1, Jan. 15, 1957 (provided to author).
234 “we shall soon”: “Unclassified Summary of NAVWAG Study No. 5,” Jan. 22, 1958, White House Office files, Office of Staff Secretary, Subject Series, Alpha Subseries, Box 21, Nuclear Exchange (1) folder, DDEL.
235 “lower levels”: Ibid.
236 “we would be”: Memo with att., Power to White, “CNO Personal Letter to Retired Flag Officers,” May 9, 1959, Thomas White Papers, Box 27, SAC folder, LoC.*
236 “There is”: Letter, Wheless to Westover, May 12, 1959, Thomas White Papers, loc. cit.*
236 “will be pointed”: Ibid.*
236 “This would lead”: Letter, White to Power, May 11, 1959, Thomas White Papers, Box 29, 1959 Top Secret File folder.*
237 “constitute”: W. W. Kaufmann, “The Puzzle of Polaris,” Feb. 1, 1960, att. to memo, Roscoe Wilson to Gen. White, Feb. 17, 1960, Thomas White Papers, Box 36, Missiles/Space/Nuclear folder.*
238 letter to White: Kaufmann, loc. cit.*
238 “A strategic”: Letter, Kaufmann to White, Feb. 18, 1960, loc. cit.*
242 Air Force Intelligence: Memo, Lawrence McQuade to Paul Nitze, “But Where Did the Missile Gap Go?,” May 31, 1963, National Security File, Box 298, Missile Gap, Feb.–May 1963, JFKL.
242 scenarios and fatalities: Richard Fryklund, 100 Million Lives (New York: Macmillan, 1962), pp. 2–4, 13–14; and interviews. Though it doesn’t say so, Fryklund’s book is based almost entirely on Kaufmann’s briefing, which Gen. Noel Parrish leaked to him. (Interviews.)
243 officers’ questions: Noted in W. W. Kaufmann, Counterforce IV: Summary Briefing, RAND DL-7880-PR, Sept. 6, 1960 (provided to author); and interviews. As far as I know, this document is the only written version of the Kaufmann briefing still extant; no actual report was ever composed.
244 “disturbed”: White, “Military Requirements and Resources for FY60-62,” lecture, Quantico Conference, June 21, 1958, Thomas White Papers, Box 19, 1958 Top Secret File folder.*
244 White endorsed: Letter, White to Frank Collbohm, Aug. 12, 1960, Thomas White Papers, Box 37, RAND folder;* and interviews.
245 “your public”: “Air Force Information Policy Letter,” Oct. 1, 1960, Thomas White Papers, Box 37, Commanders’ Conference (1960) folder.*
245 “effective deterrence”: “Subjects of Major Importance for Discussion at the Commanders’ Conference, 17-18 November 1960,” Tab A, Nov. 1, 1960, Thomas White Papers, Box 41, 1960 Top Secret File folder.*
246 “I endorsed”: White to Power, Feb. 27, 1961, Thomas White Papers, Box 48, 1961 Top Secret File folder.*
16: THE WHIZ KIDS
248 “the United”: Cited in memo, Mar. 1958, Theodore Sorensen Papers, Box 9, Defense and Veterans, JFK Position, 3/58 folder, JFKL.
248 “We are rapidly”: Reprinted in Kennedy, The Strategy of Peace, ed. by Allan Nevins (New York: Harper & Row, 1960), p. 34.
249 “the deterrent ratio”: Ibid., pp. 36–37.
249 “missile power”: Ibid., pp. 37–38.
249 “the problem of”: Kennedy, speech, n.d. (internal evidence suggests Apr. 1959), Theodore Sorensen Papers, Box 22, Defense folder.
249 “Academic Advisory Group”: List of members in Dierdre Henderson Papers, Box 1, 1st manila folder, JFKL; and interviews.
250 RAND and JFK campaign: See various letters in Dierdre Henderson Papers, Boxes 1 and 2; and interviews.
250 McNamara background: Henry L. Trewhitt, McNamara: His Ordeal in the Pentagon (New York: Harper & Row, 1971); Elie Abel, “The Thinking Man’s Business Executive” in The Kennedy Circle, Lester Tanzer, ed. (Washington, D.C.: Luce, 1961); and interviews.
251 30 percent more flying hours: Eugene Zuckert, Oral History Interview, p. 2, JFKL.
252 McNamara and Hitch: Norman Moss, Men Who Play God, rev. ed. (London: Penguin, 1970), p. 290; and interviews.
253 “a certain accent”: Cited in letter, Enthoven to Brodie, June 10, 1960, Bernard Brodie Papers, Box 1, E folder, UCLA.
253 “Fundamentally” and “I have lost”: Ibid.
254 “General, I don’t”: Trewhitt, op. cit., p. 13.
255 McNamara and Minuteman: He wanted 1,200 Minuteman ICBMs in 1961, 1,300 in 1962, 1,400 in 1963, and settled on 1,000 in 1964. See DPM, McNamara to Kennedy, “Recommended Long Range Nuclear Delivery Forces 1963–67,” Sept. 23, 1961, p. 2 (FOIA/DoD);* DPM, McNamara to Kennedy, “Recommended FY 1964–68 Strategic Retaliatory Forces,” Nov. 21,1962, p. 2 (FOIA/DoD);* McNamara to Kennedy, Dec. 3, 1962, National Security File, Box 275, DoD, Defense Budget, FY64, Vol. I, Misc. folder, JFKL. And citation in BoB memo, “Minuteman Programs,” Aug. 14, 1963, National Security File, Agency File, Box 14–17, Defense Budget, 1965, Sec. 2 folder; and memo, Cyrus Vance to Lyndon Johnson, Dec. 14, 1964, National Security File, Agency File, Box 11–21, DoD, Vol. II folder; both in LBJL.
255 Air Force 3,000: Air Force Council approved this “requirement” on May 12, 1959; memo, Jacob Smart, “USAF Tasks and Objective Force Structure,” May 15, 1959, Thomas White Papers, Box 25, Air Force Council Decisions 1959—folder, LoC.*
255 SAC 10,000: Alain Enthoven and K. Wayne Smith, How Much Is Enough? Shaping the Defense Program, 1961–1969 (New York: Harper &Row, 1971), p. 195.
255 “In common”: White, “Strategy and the Defense Intellectuals,” Saturday Evening Post, May 4, 1963.
257 Kaysen and BoB: Memos, Carl Kaysen to McGeorge Bundy, “Secretary McNamara’s Memorandum on the Defense Budget dated Oct. 6, 1961,” Nov. 13, 1961; Kaysen to President, “Force Structure and Defense Budget,” Nov. 22, 1961; Kaysen to President, Dec. 9, 1961; all in National Security File, Box 275, DoD, Defense Budget, FY63, 11–12/61, JFKL.
257 “The term ‘defense’”: White, op. cit.
17: TWO BRIEFINGS
258 WSEG-50: WSEG-50, Dec. 27, 1960, select volumes (FOIA/DoD); and interviews.*
259 WSEG-50 and counterforce: WSEG-50, Appendix E to Encl. A, “The Feasibility of Achievement of Counterforce Objectives” (FOIA/DoD);* and interviews.
259 “once an effective”: WSEG-50, p. 12.*