STILL GOING STRONG - THE U.S. DEFENSE DEBATE

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700450017-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: January 5, 2005
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: March 7, 1960
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For Release 2b05/01/27,:: CIA-F Dp75'
STILL GOING STRONG-
THE U. S. DEFENSE DEBATE
;The deh,ttc over U. S. ch'lcnses kept
the. joint Chiefs of Staff. lie told Con-
gress-his testimony was it-leased Febru-
ary 23-that the missile gap het-cell
flussia and the U. S. is narrowing. Cell'
e?ral T\viioiug disported estimates that
Russia could knack out all U. S. deter-
rent forces by attacking with 150 inter-
coutiuenta) missiles and 1511 intertnedi-
,ite-range missiles. Such an attack, he
said. would have to "click 1101 per cent
right," and would be too hig a gamble
for the Russimis to take, The General
also testified that he had not seen solar
intelligence estimates given to Congress
I)% the Central Intelligence Agency.
Allen W. Dulles, Director of CIA. lie
SSas called to a secret combined meeting
of Senators hom committees on space
Mid preparedness to explaiii svlcy Crucrul
?1'winilig was not given the estimates in
e311tation. Alter listening to \Ir. Dulles.
Republicans said that the CIA ap-
proaches the problem on a different basis
from the Pentagon. They said Mr. Dulles
had cleared everything up. Democrats
disagreed.
Senator Stuart Symington (Dem.), of
Missouri. lie said the CIA estimates show
the Russians have a "much larger" supv-
rioriti ill long-range missiles than de-
feuse officials have revealed. Ile said,
"The American people are being misled...
Senator Everett M. 1)irksen (Rep.), of
Illinois. lie took the Senate floor to "pro-
test" -.erninst Mr. Svmington's attack on
t Eisenhower's statement that the
j
l
en
c
U. S. has built up 'an indestructible
of ioculculablepowe
f
orce
\lew England
Robert C. Sprague,
banker and industrialist who, in .1957.
headed a presidential committee that
examined U. S. defenses. lie told . Con-
gress that he believed the soviet threat
was "more serious" than \fr. Eisenhower
had indicated.
Robert A. Lovett. a Republican who
se-1\0d as Secretary of Defense under
President Tanned, lie charged, in con-
resswnal testnlll)ny, that the U. S. is
g
doing "less thou its best," is allowing
budgetary considerations to influence
policy too much, and is losing prestige
in the world.
(Another critical view un defense, page
Approved For Release 2005/01/27 : ClA-RDP.75-00149R000700450017-1