'CAN'T BE DONE,' NOT IN HIS VOCABULARY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100070089-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 17, 2016
• Document Release Date: May 25, 2000
• Sequence Number: 89
• Publication Date: April 12, 1965
• Content Type: NSPR

LOS WNCJELES TIMES
APR 12 ]965 ~~11
Approved For Release,,2000/06/13 : CIA-RN -- 01 R000 00070089-3
CPYRGHT
CPYRGHT
'.PERSONALITY IN THE NEWS'
i) Done! Not
WASHINGTON UP)
Fresictent, o Znson u
named ' a , stock; , 'red
haired, retired vice.admir
al to be head of the na
tion's super-secret. Central
Intelligence Agency.
And in the words of
former, fellow admiral
"the President got quite
guy" in 59-year-old Wil
.liam F. P.aborn Jr., Texa
born, Oklahoma reared; a
home in a Navy fighter
plane cockpit, on the quar
terdeck, or in the laborato
:ties where he bossed th
development of the' nu
clear Polaris missile Sys-
"tem.
"Red's the kind 'of gu
who won't be distracted b3
nonessential detail,", sal
an ex-shipmate, a retire
four star admiral.
"He's a guy who drive
himself and who's one o
those lucky fellows wh
commands respect an
makes you want to, d
yor.: best."
Shipmates, know "Red'
Raborn as a man with
,merry .sense of humor,
'no-nonsense attitude abou
',any job to be done and
man who just won't admi
there's any such phrase a
"can't be done." His row
of medals attest to that.
Attended Academy
Born in Decatur, Tex.
on June 8, 1905, Rabor?
grew up in Ryan and Mar
'low, Okla., and was gra
.duated from the Nava
Academy in 1928.
,3cmw O s' vonaer
hoc T ever picked the Na-.'
vy 'wben T didn't know
the,"e. v s that much wa-
ter in the world," Rahnrn
once quipped on, a \ isit
back to his boyhood state,
where he joked about dust
and drouth when.he was
growing up.
Raborn switched from'
surface ships to flying and
won his wings as a naval
e iat'r in 1934. During
1 `orld War II, he ' com-
manded the Navy aviation
gunnery school on
Kaneolie`Bay, Hawiii. and
then served as expcut;z-e
officer of the U?S Nan-
cock in the war's final
punch against Japan.
After commanding a
ile launching subs, and
he launcher itself.-
'Vlanagar&al Ability'
".Red's got tremendn'is
a.an.gerial ability," said a
ormer shipmate.
Raborn served as depu.-
y chief of naval opera- 1
ions before retiring and
ecoming a vice president
ith Ac r.o j et General
orp., in Pasadena, Calif.
President Johnson,' in
ppointing Raborn to suc-
eed John A. McCone as
hief of the CIA, described,
im as a friend of 15 years.. '
As.head of the CIA, Ra-
orn will boss a huge com-
lex about which relative-
y little is known publicly.
Vhat is known is that it
ncludes a far-flung net
vork of intelligence and
as as a prime mission the
ask of making sure the
71resident is fully informed
n every facet in which
he nation is involved or
nterested.
To old ' shipmates who
eard of. the appointment,
t wasn't surprising, Ra-
orn didn't quibble about
ccepting.
"He's?. the. kind of guy
ho, if the President
sked him to take on.any.
ob, would say 'aye, aye,
ir' and that would be
:hat," said one.
Raborn is married and
as two children, Barbara
riscilla a and William.' F.
tabor n III...
task force and serving in
naval headquarters in
Washington on various
tours, Raborn took com-
mand of the, USS Benning-
ton. 'In 'a series of explo-
sions that rocked the ship
off Newport on May 26;
1954, 220 men died. An of-
ficial commendation cre-
dited him with saving ma-
ny lives."
Tabbed to. Bead the Na-
vy's special project office,
Raborn was given the task"
of developing the Polaris
as a missile capable of be-
ing launched from a sub-
marine while submerged.
' His research command
is credited with ' many
scientific breakthroughs in
achieving its goal, includ-
ing anew navigation sys-
tem to be used;by the'mis-
CPYRGHT
Approved For Release 2000/06/13 : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000100070089-3