Date

Jul 28, 1961

Description

Two days before he retired as Chief of Naval Operations, Arleigh Burke, with Secretary of the Navy John Connally, testified before the Senate Arms Service Committee. In this Air Force record of the testimony, Burke and Connally showed unmistakable self-assurance in their discussion of advantages of Polaris and the disadvantages of competing systems. In keeping with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara's stated preference for forces which could "ride out" a nuclear attack, whose survival did not require a "hair trigger response," and could be "applied with deliberation" by national authorities, Connally emphasized Polaris's "freedom from the catastrophic conditions existing on land if an enemy strikes first." Burke expounded on the "unique capabilities of the system and … its virtual invulnerability to enemy action."

When Senator Stuart Symington (D-Mo) questioned Polaris's undetectability, Burke flatly responded that Polaris "could not be detected;" further, he "could point to no R&D technique having any promise in this area." The displeasure of Air Force officers in Burke's testimony was evident when they cited Burke's disparagement of silo-based ICBMs and the "presumption that they could not survive in the years to come." In his testimony, Burke had "referred to ground shock problems and the fact that such parts as heavy silo doors could be jammed by the impact of nuclear weapons."

Source

Library of Congress, Curtis LeMay Papers, box 153, Chief of Staff Memos; DNSA

Document published in following posting(s):

"How Much is Enough?": The U.S. Navy and "Finite Deterrence"

Oct 14, 2021