BOLD PEACE PLAN FOR THE U.S. A NEW 'GREAT WHITE FLEET'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP61-00357R000100220006-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 10
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 20, 2013
• Sequence Number: 6
• Publication Date: July 27, 1959
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

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THE EDITORS OF
LIFE
PRESENT
BOLD PEACE PLAN FOR THE U.S.
A NEW 'GREAT WHITE FLEET'
ORIGINAL GREAT WHITE FLEET, LED BY BATTLESHIP "CONNECTICUT," TRAILS CLOUDS OF COAL SMOKE AS IT STEAMS TOWARD PACIFIC
Unarmed ships, loaded with goodwill, would carry out mercy missions
Fifty-two years ago President Theodore Roose-
velt sent 16 battleships off on the historic world
cruise of "The Great White Fleet." Fully armed
and freshly painted (all U. S. battleships were
white in those days), the 1907 fleet dramatically
fulfilled its mission: to impress the world with
U.S. naval power and the nation's coming of age.
This week LIFE places its support behind a pro-
posal for a "New White Fleet" (see cover) with
a new mission. Its ships, painted white as a sign
of peace, would carry no guns at all. Instead they
would sail around the world with food for the
hungry, medical facilities for the sick or injured,
and technicians to help underprivileged peoples
improve their own lot. LIFE's editors believe the
New White Fleet?first suggested by Commander
Frank Manson (pp.20,21)?is a bold, imaginative
idea which could harness America's productive
goodwill and energies to help insure peace and
combat the spread of Communism. On the follow-
ing pages LIFE shows how the New White Fleet
could be commissioned and how it might operate.
17
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NEW WHITE FLEET AS IT MIGHT LOOK IN ACTION IS SHOWN IN DRAWING OF DISASTER VICTIMS BEING BROUGHT ABOARD HOSPITAL SHIP. LANDING CRAFT AND
FOR PEOPLE IN TROUBLE,
THE GLEAMING U.S. SHIPS
WITH ON-THE-SPOT HELP
18
A New White Fleet would carry good deeds, vital goods and fresh ideas
to remote areas of the world which need them most. The first of these
immense capabilities is shown in the drawing above. The scene is a small
port city somewhere in southeast Asia. A disastrous earthquake has
occurred, injuring thousands of citizens and setting fire to the city.
Local medical facilities and food supplies have been destroyed; disease is
spreading in the wake of the disaster.
Summoned by radio, the White Fleet has steamed into the harbor. Its
hospital ship, in the foreground, is already taking on patients. In the
background other ships, including a small aircraft carrier loaded with
helicopters for rescue work, are carrying out their own duties. They will
remain anchored here until the city can be restored to self-sufficiency.
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HELICOPTERS FROM FLEET AIRCRAFT CARRIER (CENTER, REAR) BRING OUT MORE PATIENTS. SHIPS AT FAR LEFT ARE CARGO VESSELS ATTACHED TO THE FLEET
The fleet, as its planners envision it, would consist of six ships to start
hospital ship, complete with operating rooms. X-ray facilities
and medical wards; the carrier; a small destroyer escort to provide co laStal
coinmunities with emergency power; a cargo vessel loaded with stores of
food and clothing; a transport converted into a floating technical school
to help improve the local standard of living; and a supply vessel to
replenish the flea. Later on, when the fleet has become established,
a seN cull, ship could be added with an exliihit of U.S. culture and industry.
hi the normal pursuit of its duties the fleet would steam from port
to. port oninvitatinn: timing its cruise according to a schedule AN hick
has hey]] worked out ahead of time m ith local authorities. In each port
of call the hospital ship would -normally take on only patients who are
suffering from serious ailments which the local doctors cannot cure.
These doctors would he in ited to serve on board as internes and learn
hom to care for such patients themselves. in the event of a disaster
elsewhere iii the area the entire fleet could interrupt its regular schedule,
pull up ancho or and steam to the rescue.
The ships of the White Fleet would be assigned and turned over to
it by the U.S. Navy. But the military connotations stop there. To be
elfectiN e in many areas of the world, where a sense of nationalism or
political neutralism might spoil the welcome of a foreign naval fleet, the
W hitA. Fleet must be scrupulously true to the high motives and
principles behind it. A. successful White Fleet could win the U.S. more
real friends abroad than any other great project since the Marshall Plan.
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CONTINUED 19
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NEW WHITE FLEET CONTINUED
THE ORIGINAL GREAT WHITE FLEET
thuic.
VISITING JAPAN, JAPAN, sailors of Great White Fleet by Japanese schoolchildren waving American flags
march through streets of Yokohama and are greeted and singing The Star-Spangled Banner in Japanese.
REVIEWED BY PRESIDENT, Great White Fleet after cruise of 46,000 miles in 14 months. Cruise
steams into Ilampton Roads, Va., returning home was considered a great feat of sailing and diplomacy.
20
AUTHOR OF
Commander Manson, the man who thought up
the idea of a New White Fleet, is 38 and a native
of Oklahoma. He Is now on duty at U.S. Navy
headquarters In London. The following article
expresses his personal ideas and should not be
construed as the official view of the U.S. Navy.
by FRANK MANSON
Commander, U.S. Navy
THE idea of organizing a New White Fleet
grew out of things I witnessed at the close
of World War II. Like thousands of U.S. serv-
icemen, I saw diseased, destitute and poverty-
stricken peoples living on the Asiatic rimland
and in parts of Europe and Africa. In some
areas I saw people actually dying on the streets
of starvation and disease. Such sights made
deep and lasting impressions on me. Even then
it was apparent that the urgent problems facing
the impoverished and underdeveloped coun-
tries were far from settled.
Something more was needed, something to
combat poverty's eroding influences, some-
thing to make the benefits of civilization avail-
able on a broad scale. The primitive societies
wanted something more than a bare subsist-
ence. We were moving swiftly into an era of
increased desire and rising expectations. To
paraphrase President Lincoln, the world simply
could not peacefully continue to exist half
starved and half free.
But it was many years before a specific plan
occurred to me. At my Pentagon office on a De-
cember afternoon in 1957 I happened to thumb
through a photographic World War II file that
included pictures of auxiliary and hospital
ships. Later that same afternoon I talked with
an observant Navy doctor who had just re-
turned from a brief journey through Southeast
Asia. The doctor had seen medical conditions
almost too sad and painful to describe. He had
administered a few drugs, serums and vac-
cinations and had performed one major surgi-
cal operation in addition to his official duties,
but it was only a droplet in a desert of need.
The doctor suggested that disease and inade-
quate nutrition might be contributing to the
area's social and political problems.
?
It was not the first time I had heard this the-
ory, but it made plenty of sense. In addition
to inefficient food production methods one of
the major problems of underdeveloped nations
is the vicious circle of deprivation. Because of
malnutrition the farmers grow too weak to
work with maximum efficiency and are thereby
unable to produce the full potential of their
land?and this in turn keeps them undernour-
ished. Something from outside is needed to
break the circle.
And so I asked the doctor, "Would hospital
ships help?" I think the doctor's enthusiastic
response to my question was the actual trigger.
In any case, as I drove home to Falls Church
that evening, I suddenly thought: why not
have an entire fleet of mercy ships?grain ships,
hospital ships, education ships, power ships
?a fleet designed to make the benefits of the
free enterprise system available to the entire
human race?
The people of the U.S. are builders by na-
ture. They like positive and creative programs.
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THE BIG PLAN EXPLAINS CITHER NA" RESCUES
COMMANDER FRANK MANSON, U.S.N.
And their organizational brilliance is beyond
dispute. At the same time they have fallen
grievously behind the Soviet Union in the field
of propaganda: Why not take advantage of the
American ability to organize for material well-
being so as to make up the lost ground in world
propaganda?
Ordinarily as I drive home I fume about the
traffic situation. But that particular afternoon
I counted our national blessings. The United
States leads the world in the field of medicine.
Why not put this splendid advantage to full
use in a White Fleet? Ships painted white have
long been an established worldwide symbol.
They are recognized by international conven-
tion as a symbol of peace and helpfulness, even
in the midst of war. Doctors are still welcome
diplomats in all lands.
It seemed to me that the cost of such a fleet
would not be great. Certainly it would not be
great compared to the sums being spent in
preparation for war or even to the sums spent
on foreign aid programs. Besides, the ships
could be drawn from the mothball fleet that
has been growing more and more obsolescent.
One thought led to another. The New White
Fleet would be supported by a campaign in
which every American would have a chance to
participate and contribute. I felt that Ameri-
cans wanted to help wage peace, and I knew
they were willing to sacrifice as long as their
sacrifices were made in behalf of sensible goals.
The problems facing the underdeveloped coun-
tries Were not beyond human comprehension.
They were not very different from those of the
American wilderness in the 17th Century.
They were practical problems and lent them-
selves to practical solutions. By the time I got
home these and many other thoughts were
swirling through my mind.
My wife thought my idea had promise, but
she brought me to earth in a hurry. A thing
like this was beyond the scope of my job as
Special Research Assistant to Chief of Naval
Operations. In fact, we could not even decide
whom I should see to get the White Fleet
started. We finally agreed that I should simply
talk to anyone in an influential spot. Starting
the next day, I told my idea to everyone ,who
would listen: business and labor leaders, other
naval officers and people in many walks of life.
The New White Fleet gained acceptance
faster than I could have imagined. One of my
jobs in the Pentagon was congressional liaison,
and the first U.S. senator to hear of the idea
asked me for a memorandum on it. A short
time later he asked for more detailed data.
Soon another senator indicated a personal in-
terest in the proposal. My own congressman
indicated his enthusiastic support as did other
congressmen from both parties.
But I needed time to work out the details.
Fortunately in the spring of 1958 I was sent
to the U.S. Naval War College. There as a
student I had the opportunity to reflect and
to research the White Fleet concept.
?
After talking to literally dozens of highly
qualified people, both civilian and military, I
have yet to find one person who is against the
proposal. All have favored the fleet's forma-
tion. Many have made specific recommenda-
tions regarding its composition and its mis-
sion. Some have underlined the importance of
assigning personnel particularly well qualified
for this type of duty. They point out, for ex-
ample, that those responsible for the Navy's
nuclear power program have insisted on com-
petent and highly qualified personnel for many
reasons, not the least of which is the cost of
one mistake. The same would hold true m ith
White Fleet operations. Mistakes would prove
incalculably expensive. The fleet should be
manned by qualified, imaginative and under-
standing personnel. One congressman suggest-
ed the White Fleet should start from the heart-
land of America and sail out through the St.
Lawrence Seaway. One retired admiral who is
now busily engaged in civilian pursuits volun-
teered to drop everything he was doing to get
the White Fleet organized.
The ships might be named for foreign coun-
tries or cities, for rivers that flow through sev-
eral countries or for world-famous events or
mountains. They might be named for eminent
figures in the age-old fight against disease and
ignorance?Clara Barton, Louis Pasteur, Al-
bert Seim eitzer. Or they might be named for
the principles which underlie the U.S. system
of government.
What kind of emergencies will rate a White
Fleet visit? One thing is certain: there will
never be a lack of such emergencies. Today,
for example, malaria is rampant in Indonesia.
Each year India suffers untold deaths from
dysentery.
I have no illusions that a New White Fleet
will bring peace to the world in one sweeping
movement. Progress toward peace will come
only a bit at a time. America may never be. able
unilaterally to bring peace to the world, but
American leadership can prevent the people
of the world from losing hope. rhat is why I
propose the New White Fleet. The main efforts
for peace must of course be made through
regular government channels and through in
that governments have established.
But, as President Eisenhower has frequently
said, much can be done "people to people."
This is my hope: that the New White Fleet
Mill bring people closer to people.
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ON GREEK ISLAND, after 1953 earthquake, the
U.S. Navy lands with supplies of food and medicine.
IN MEXICO FLOOD sailors from a U.S. carrier
land ill Tampico in 1955 to help gather up refugees.
fttlY
,
RESCUE BY AIR is carried out by Navy helicopter
picking Mexican farmers off a roof in 1955 flood.
WARM THANKS for rescue is painted by Mexi-
cans on roof. Navy pilots hauled out 5,871 people.
CONTINUED 21
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NEW WHITE FLEET CONTINUED
311"
NEW WAY WAY TO PLOW, using ancient pulling power but new implement which
makes deeper furrow to increase crop yield, is demonstrated by White Fleet
agricultural expert to natives of North African village. This and other possible
fleet activities shown on these pages were drawn for LIFE by Artist Ed Vebell.
DEEP PLOWS, ACTS OF MERCY AND TEACHING BY TV
The hospital. ship and aircraft carrier would be the backbone of the
New White Fleet and carry out its most dramatic missions. But steaming
in their wake would be two busy, indispensable converted Navy trans-
ports. One would be stocked to the gunwales with bags and crates of sta-
ple foods?wheat, milk, rice?for distribution to the inhabitants of any
area hit by drought or other disaster. The second ship would serve as
a floating educational center, complete with classrooms, dormitories and
even a television transmitting station.
Wherever possible, groups of native students would be brought aboard
the educational ship for basic courses in agriculture and public health.
In areas where most of the people in need live too far from a harbor
to visit the fleet, helicopters from the carrier would carry the doctors and
instructors to them. Portable television receivers could be flown to re-
mote villages so that the thousands of inhabitants could watch the same
demonstration over the air. In each case, for best results, the instruc-
tion would be given by local teachers (opposite page) under the super-
vision of U.S. experts traveling with the fleet. It would be the fleet's
standard operating procedure to act on the belief that people are best
helped who learn to help themselves. The White Fleet would be a guest,
bringing in U.S. know-how. Its hosts would provide the will to know.
EMERGENCY RATIONS, rushed to a famine-stricken town in India by the fleet
helicopters, are distributed from a truck by members of the White Fleet crew.
22
PENICILLIN CURE for yaws, a serious skin disease prevalent in the South Pa-
cific, is given first to the village headman as the other natives wait their turn.
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DEMONSTRATING A STOVE, a solar furnace which would be extremely use-
ful in many areas of India where fuel is scarce, local leaders perform before TV
camera on deck of the educational ship. The program could be broadcast to sev-
eral villages at the same time and received on previously distributed TV sets.
CONTINUED 23
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NEW WHITE FLEET CONTINUED
"PROJECT HOPE" CHIEFS are its president, Dr. William Walsh holding model
of hospital ship which will be sent out, and Mr. John Spreckelmyer, hospital ad
ministrator, who holds stack of applications from volunteer doctors and nurses.
WHAT IS BEING
DONE AND HOW
YOU MAY HELP
CONGRESSIONAL BACKERS of the White Fleet proposal study photograph of
the painting used on LIFE'S cover. From left they are Senator George Aiken (Rep.)
of Vermont, Senator Hubert Humphrey (Dem.) of Minnesota, Representative
Imposing as its job will be, the White Fleet
would be a relatively simple and inexpensive
armada to outfit. All of the necessary ships
are lying unused in U.S. Navy mothball fleets.
It would require about 18 months to get them
ready to sail. The most essential vessel of the
new fleet would be its hospital ship (below) with
a crew of 75 doctors and nurses. There are
four big hospital ships now in Navy moth-
balls. All of them are kept stocked with surgi-
cal instruments, sheets and even fuel.
The cost of readying a fleet and keeping it
going for 18 months would amount to $20 to
$30 million. Each additional year of operation
would cost another $10 million. This does not
include emergency food supplies which would
come from U.S. stockpiles of surplus food.
A small-scale prototype of the White Fleet
consisting of one hospital ship is already being
prepared to sail in January. Known as "Proj-
ect Hope," the operation is sponsored by the
People-to-People Health Foundation and is be-
ing financed by public subscription. Drug man-
ufacturers are furnishing the medicines; the oil
CUTAWAY OF HOSPITAL SHIP SHOWS FACILITIES FOR MEDICAL CARE AND TRANSPORTATION OF PATIENTS TO AND FROM SHIP BY HELICOPTER. WARDS WILL
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William Bates (Rep.) of Massachusetts and Representative Ed Edmondson (Dem.)
of Oklahoma. Together they are sponsoring h% in resolutions asking President
Eisenhower to take the necessary steps to put New White Fleet into operation.
industry is providing money for the fuel: the
American President Lines will man the ship at
cost; the doctors and nurses are volunteers.
The White Fleet would benefit from some of
the lessons learned by Project Hope, which is
still busy raising the necessary funcls.
This week four members of Congress (above)
are sponsoring resolutions asking President
Eisenhower to take whatever steps are neces-
sary to help put the fleet into being. The reso-
lutions do not provide for funds but suggest
that surplus government ships be turned over
MOTHBALLED HOSPITAL SHIPS, berthed in the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard
are photographed from a bridge as birds fly past. could form the nucleus for two
separate White Fleets, one to serve in Pacific waters and one in the Atlantic.
to private organizations which could operate
them. It would dramatize American goodwill,"
says Senator Hubert Humphrey; "It is just
good business," says Senator George Aiken;
"An imaginative, stimulating concept," says
Representative William Bates; "It makes a lot
more sense," says Representative Ed Edmond-
son, "than some parts of our foreign aid pro-
gram." LIFE readers who N%ishi to lend their en-
couragement could write to the four sponsors,
whose addresses are listed at the right and who
will forward the mail to the proper committees.
SUPPORTERS OF WHITE FLEET
SHOULD WRITE THESE PEOPLE
Senator George Aiken, Room 358, and Sena-
tor Hubert Humphrey, Room 1311, Senate Office
Building, Washington 25, D.C.
Representative William Bates, Room 458, and
Representative Ed Edmondson, Room 108, House
Office Building, Washington 25, D.C.
HOLD A TOTAL OF 800 PATIENTS. THE SHIP CAN CARRY A YEAR'S SUPPLY OF MEDICINES AND ENOUGH FOOD TO LAST CREW AND PATIENTS FOR SIX MONTHS
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