U.S. OWES DEBT TO(Classified)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00001R000100250079-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: November 11, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 16, 1999
• Sequence Number: 79
• Publication Date: December 24, 1963
• Content Type: NSPR

DEC 2 4 1963
Sanitized - Approved For Relea
CPYRGHT
FOIAb3b
ILS. Owes debt To Dick Bissell
CPYRGHT
e .rue
shale of the world we. live in has
bccn radically changed by a . retry
last, which very few people ltmx
about even today.
The fact is that
we now know the
true nature of the
power balance be-
tween this country
and the Soviet Un-
ion. Despite its
closed society, the
Soviet Union is now
open to inspection
the most literal sense. We could
not now because the man to whom
rids. change and gain are largely
411110d is now leaving the public serv-
i.-, uncelebrated, unrewarded, almost
unthanked.
guess before; but since August,
we have known.
-% ills is a change incalculably pro.
,mad and far-reaching. It is also an
1r:ciculable gain for the United
1,des. And this needs to be pointed
If any member of the general pub-
lie recalls the name of Richard M.
Bissell, it will probably be because of
the Ray of Pigs. Before that fiasco,
"is
sell was due to succeed Allen Dul-
as director of the Central in.
elIigence Agency. But, someone had
o take the rap for this sorry failure,
'or which everybody from President
"cnnedy on down had a share of
flame;. and Bissell was chief among
hose who took the rap. Another job
ollowed - a fairly big job, but one
BY JOSEPH ALSOP
Nape of tile world
changed by our knowl-
ed ge of the missile
strength of the Soviets.
which is now ending for reasons
which are not esliecially relevant. All
that is relevant, at the moment, is
to record just how the closed Soviet
ceased to be closed for all practical
purposes.
This remarkable story began in the
summer of '954 when one of Presi-
dent Eisenhr;wer's numerous special
advisory committees, the Killian Com-
mittee on Surprise Attack, suggested
building a reconnaissance plane of
the type of the tl-2. Such a plane
had already been proposed to the
Air Force by the brilliant Kelly John-
son of Lockheed aviation, but the idea
had been turned down flat.
By, the intricate, half-accidental
processes familiar in government, the
Killian Commi*ee recommendation
brought together a three-star team,
composed of Kelly Johnson, the fa-
mous E. H. Land of, the .Polaroid
Co., and Bissell from the CIA, who
was the friend, of- both the others.
In record time, these 'three bulled,
he U-2 through from concept to re-
lity. The ;>ca ange i ew aircraft was,,
hereupon ' asidgned to? the CIA. Bis-
cll thus became , commander of an
ndependent' U-2 air force, -in addi-
ion to his other duties.,
So much" is fairly well-known to
m ormec persons. What Is not',we -
known' (and would-not be discussed
Ill space if the main facts had not
already been published elsewhere, s
the second chapter of the story th t
opened with the U-2.
This time Lt. Gen. Bernard Schrie -
er of the research' and developme t
command worked with Bissell. Brij.
Gen. Oswald Ritland was Bissell
day-to-day partner. "Din" Land agai
lent a hand. And others might
mentioned.
Yet in the official air force ait,
count of this matter, the main cred '
for the success of the reconnaissanc
.satellite is nonetheless given to Bi,
sell. August, 1960, wheh the first
the new "birds" with seeing, reme
bering eyes made its successful flight
is a date that will he remembers 1
in history books.'
It is a date with much bearing, t
begin with, on the silly controversy
about the missile gap. Until we knew
the Soviets had not deployed the in
tercontinental ballistic missiles which
they were entirely capable of pr
'during, the only safe course was to
assume that; the Soviets were indeed
producing and deploying these ultim
ate weapons. Their failure to do so
was in fact a gigantic error.
But after August, 1960, we began
to know that the ICBMS were not
there; and this in turn changed the
entire strategic aspect of the world.
Such, then, is the debt owed to
Dick Bissell. As he happens to be
.this reporter's oldest friend, the debt
is here acknowledged with pride.
Sanitized - Approved For Release : CIA-RDP75-00001 R000100250079-4