MISSILE GAP HELD CIA 'BRAIN CHILD'

Document Type: 
Collection: 
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
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
March 26, 1962
Content Type: 
NSPR
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PDF icon CIA-RDP75-00149R000700440014-5.pdf78.28 KB
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J 1A %, LL 0V 'V LLi. F,PLt'. ,nrvr &_ v +vvar 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