APPENDIX E SECRET 1957 STUDY RELEASED BY U.S.

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP77-00389R000100080025-1
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 25, 2002
• Sequence Number: 25
• Publication Date: January 19, 1973
• Content Type: NSPR

Approved For- ease 2002/033/28N' tCIIA-F.DP77-0038918 00100080025-1
APPE
SECRET 1957 STUDY
RELEASED BY U,
Security Agency Overruled
on Nuclear-Attack Report
By-BEItNARD GWERTZIN1AN
Special to The New Xotk TIMtf
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19-An
Administration review, board
has overruled the National Se-
curity Council and made public
a 15-year old "top secret,"
highly controversial report that
warned the .Eisenhower Admin-
istration that it was not doing
enough to protect the United
States against possible Soviet
nuclear attack.
The Gaither report,. as'it was
known in 1957, recommended
to President Eisenhower. that
the' United States spend $19-
billion more on weaponry and
$25-billion on civil defense pro-
grams,over the next five years,
to deter the Russians.
Reflecting the concern of
many experts then that the So-
viet Union's successful launch
ing of the first Sputnik satellite
in October, 1957, had put the
Russians ahead in *weapons
technology, the report said that
all evidence "clearly indicates
an -increasing threat which may
become critical in 1959 or early
1960."
Main Points Known Before
The main' points of the re-
port became known to the
press at the time, ' but both'
President Eisenhower and his
successor, John F. Kennedy,
refused to make the full 40-,
page report public.
The New York Times sought
its relase under the Administra-
tion's new classification system
put into effect last June. The
National Security Council turn
ed down the request in a letter
dated Oct. l3, 1972. 1
But, as a result of an appeal:
by The Times, John ? S. D.
Eisenhower, son of the late
President and chairman of. the
Interagency Classification. Re-
I view Committee, told The
Times in a letter dated Jan. 10
that the review group-had de-,
clded to declrssify the rcl)ort.i
This was the first time that;
'Deterrence and Survival'
The full name of the report
was "Deterrence and Survival
in the Nuclear Age." It wash
compiled by the security re-
sources, panel of the Science
Advisory Committee of the Of-
fice of Defense Mobilization. It
became known as the Gaither
report' for the study group's l
chairman, H. Rowan Gaither (Strategic Air Command's bontb-
Jr., chairman of the board of ,,r farre_ and said:
"
in 1961. .
The panel S was' assigned to
study the ability of the civil
population to survive a nu-
clear attack, but widened its
mandate into' a study of the
relative weapons systems of
both countries.
It said, "We nave round no
evidence in Russian foreign
and military policy since 1945
to refute the conclusion that
U.S.S.R. intentions are expan-
sionist, and that her great ef-
forts to build military power
go beyond any concepts of So-
vietciefense." , ? '
It concluded that the 1957
civil defense programs in the
United States "will not give
adequate assurance of protec-
tion to the civil population."
It then said th4t American
protection depended on the
y; /5?7
that there was a missile "gap"
between Russia and the United
States. This was one of the is-
sues used by Mr. Kennedy in
defeating Vice President Nixon
for the Presidency.
The current ,vulnerability of [
SAC to surprise attack during
a period of lessened world ten-
sion (i.e., a time when SAC is
not on a SAC 'alert' status),
and the threat posed to SAC
by the prospects of an early
Russian ICBM [intercontinental
ballistic missile] capability, call
for prompt remedial action."
Despite the controversy cre-
ated by the press disclosures at
the time, President Eisenhower
maintained that the'conclusions
of the Gaither panel were no
more important than recom-
mendations made by other
study groups, in and out of the
Government.
The concern for American,
security expressed by the
Gaither report, however, con-
tributed to the impression by
the time of the 1960 election
the review committee had over-
ruled a Government agency's,
,decision to AP tghkeeftFVrRjlease 2002/03/28 : CIA-RDP77-00389R000100080025-1