93. Memorandum of Conference With President Eisenhower0
OTHERS PRESENT
- Secretary Gates, General Goodpaster
[Here follows discussion of administrative matters.]
Secretary Gates said he is, in his testimony, keeping the door open for possible increases in some of our key military programs if we should get a breakthrough. Mr. Gates said the period over which he feels the greatest concern is at the end of 1960 to the latter part of 1961. At that time, we will be in good shape if the Titan and Minuteman are coming along as planned. Otherwise we may have a problem. He felt there is adequate reason to do some reprogramming, in all likelihood taking a substantial amount of funds from Bomarc and Super-Sage, and increasing the number of Atlas missiles in certain of the later squadrons. The President thought there would be reason to put the Atlas missiles in our mountain areas, camouflaging rather than hardening our sites. An enemy could not hit all of them simultaneously. He thought there should be a mix of missiles of various kinds, in various states of concealment and hardening. Mr. Gates said that the additional programs he had in mind would involve something like $50 million added expenditures in FY–60 and $500 million added expenditures in FY–61, with half of these additional expenditures met from reprogramming.
The President said that once we have had a full service test of the Polaris missile from a submerged submarine, he would be willing to go to a higher program if this is completely successful. Mr. Gates said there will not be a submerged firing until August and he would like to take some steps prior to that time. The President said he would like for Congress to give an authorization to contract for the long lead-time items for twelve additional submarines as soon as these have been proved out. We would then get a deficiency appropriation after the Congress comes back next year. The President said he did not want to build so many of these vessels at once as to require the opening of new shipyards.1
He said we retain one big question regarding the Polaris, and that is how to protect our bases. He noted that we have only two harbors where nuclear submarines can come in.
[Page 388]Mr. Gates said there is a project to increase the range of the Polaris from 1500 to 2500 miles. This will require $75 million additional NOA in the first year. This step would be taken later than the other adjustments being considered. The President thought this is acceptable, but considered it should have a low priority.
On all of these matters Mr. Gates stressed that he is not asking for a decision. They must be discussed with the Bureau of the Budget first. There are, however, major factors, some of these of a political nature, which he would like to ask be considered. The President commented that he is not moved too strongly by political considerations. If a bill came to him with unacceptable provisions in it, he would veto it if necessary. Mr. Gates said there is some indication of uneasiness on the part of our public relating to our defense program—resulting largely from the attacks and demagoguery that have been engaged in lately. The President said he has seen little indication that people are actually unhappy about the program. His mail certainly does not show it. In concluding the discussion, the President asked that Mr. Gates watch particularly the Polaris program and the airborne alert program to see that if there is reason to put more funds into either one, we do so promptly.
Brigadier General, General, USA
- Source: Eisenhower Library, Whitman File, Eisenhower Diaries. No classification marking. Drafted by Goodpaster on March 26.↩
- Information on the Navy’s advocacy of the Polaris program is in Admiral Burke’s March 12 memorandum to Gates, his March 15 memorandum for the record of a JCS meeting with Gates on March 14, and his March 28 memorandum for the record of a telephone conversation with the President on March 26. (All in Naval Historical Center, Burke Papers, Originator File) All are in the Supplement.↩