MISSILE GAP HELD CIA 'BRAIN CHILD'

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700440014-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 21, 2004
• Sequence Number: 14
• Publication Date: March 26, 1962
• Content Type: NSPR

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FLORIDA i I 4 For Release 2005/01/05 : CIA-RDP75-0014 ff670II-440014-5
MORNING 174,957
SU14DAY 179,363
MAR 2619 2
',VIEW BY SYMINGTON
issile. GapHeld
CIS ` rain Child'
. WASHINGTON, March 25 (M-
(The missile gap came bouncing
back into the news today on a
senator's statement that it was
?created and destroyed by the
,Central Intelligence Agency,
A Cabinet member agreed, in
,effect, and said those who talked
.of such a gap in 1960 did so in
good faith.
In the 1960 presidential cam-
paign, Democrats charged the
Eisenhower administration had
permitted Soviet Russia to open
a wide gap in nuclear missile
strength.
GOP Counter Charges
Last year, after President Ken-
nedy took office, the missile gap
apparently vanished and this
brought Republican counter-
charges that Democrats delib-
erately misrepresented facts and
created the missile gap out of
whole cloth for political ends.
A published volume of hearings
by the Senate Armed Services
Committee included testimony by
?Secretary of Defense Robert S.
!McNamara. He was explaining
why he now believes the United
States can cope with nuclear at-
tack by Russia. This included
estimates of Russian long-range
strategic power.
Sen. Stuart Syminton, D-Mo.,
who in 1960 was among Demo-
,crats 'who contended the Eisen-
administration had per-
ni tted a gap to develop, used
McNamara's remarks as an oc-
casion to present a sort of time-
table on the downward. revision
of estimates of Soviet strength. 1
Estimates of Intent
Symington said that "'in 1958
and 1959 we were given an esti-
mate of the number of ICBMs.
the Russians would have in fiscal
year 1961;" in February 1960 the
then secretary of defense an-
nounced that in the future fig-
ures would be based on estimates
of intent instead of capability. In
February, the estimate was cut
66 per cent, said Symington.
Then, Symington said, the time-
table ran like this:
In August 3.960, the Central In-
telligence Agency estimate of So-
viet missile strength was re-
duced 4 per cent; in June 1961
it was removed again "so that it
was only 15 per cent of what It
had been estimated as but a few.
months before."
In September 1961-"all of this
under the previous management
of the Central . Intelligence
Agency and the 24 advisory
groups" - it dropped again by;,
96.5 per cent from the estimate
made 19 months before.
Questions CIA Factor
Referring to McNamara's testi-
mony that intelligence was a fac-;
tor, in calculating the U.S. re
quirements and Soviet strength,
Symington told McNamara:
"I would ask you to file for
'the record the justification of
your statement that intelligence
is taken into consideration.
"I am in no sense critical. It is.
rather fascinating. Somebody said.
it is the best exhibition of .'how:
.to win without trying.'
"The missile gap was created
by the Central Intelligence Agen-
cy.
"if it has been eliminated, it
Central Intelligence Agency,"
#YM //VG-?"oA)
Approved For Release 2005/01/05 : CIA-RDP75-00149R000700440014-5