MEETING WITH VICE ADMIRAL W. A. SCHOECH, USN, CHIEF OF NAVAL SUPPORT, REGARDING IDEALIST CARRIER OPERATIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90B00170R000100040037-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 3
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 29, 2011
• Sequence Number: 37
• Publication Date: July 3, 1963
• Content Type: MEMO

BYE 2879-63
Copyj_of 9
SUBJECT : Meeting with Vice Admiral W. A. Schoech, USN, Chief of Naval
Support, Regarding IDEALIST Carrier Operations
1. At Commander Holcomb's request I met late in the morning of
3 July with Admiral Schoech in his office at Main Navy in the presence of
Commander Skidmore, USN, and Captain Martin D. Carmody, USN, to review
for the Admiral the background and progress to date on our study for the car-
rier conversion of U-2's. Commander Skidmore was representing Admiral
Taylor, the new Director of the Office of Naval Intelligence.
2. I reviewed for Admiral Schoech the background leading to the
institution of the carrier study, beginning with General Carter's suggestion
of 21 March 1963 that such a study be undertaken, but also including mention
of SAC's earlier study on the same subject some time ago and Kelly Johnson's
original engineering study on adapting the U-2 to carriers made in 1956 and
1957. I explained that the increasing difficulty of obtaining staging bases in
third countries was primarily the motivating factor in deciding to take a look
at the feasibility of U-2 carrier operations; I reviewed for him the IDEALIST
level of effort in Fiscal Year 1963, the number of aircraft currently possessed
and soon to be converted, and in general tried to give him the flavor not only
of our operations, but the system of requirements and priority determinations
which make our operations possible, i. e. , COMOR, USIB, Special Group, etc.
3. Admiral Schoech was very receptive to the idea of converting the
U-2 for use on carriers, and although he did not say so, appeared to be grati-
fied to learn that the projected scope of such activities would be on a
sporadic rather than continuous basis. He made repeated mention of the Navy
SLOP commitments which limit the steaming radius of the attack carriers on
station so that they are not beyond range of assigned targets and said that of
the carriers presently in commission in the Navy there were seven CVA types
 BYE 2879-63
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(1959 and subsequent commissioning dates) which he felt could be considered
for use for this purpose. These are the "Forrestal", "Saratoga", "Enterprise",
"Ranger", "Independence", and "Kitty Hawk". Two additional carriers of this
class are programed--the "America" to be launched in 1966 and the hull, as
yet unnamed, scheduled for commissioning in 1967. These carriers offer the
best hangar deck accommodations and flexibility, although in a pinch the three
CVA's of the "Midway" class, namely the "Roosevelt", "Coral Sea", and
"Midway", might possibly be used. Present Navy levels of effort call for only
five carriers on station projected through 1964, including two in the
Mediterranean and three in WESPAC. The balance of their available carriers
are either "cruising" or in shipyards. Of the seven CVA types noted above,
only the "Saratoga", "Ranger", and "Independence" presently offer the Airborne
Systems Support Center (ASSC), which is a vital adjunct for the processing and
initial flash readout of "B" camera film on board. The "Ranger" is presently
in dry dock in Seattle having this additional center installed. The "Independence"
is due to sail for the Mediterranean on 6 August to relieve the "Saratoga"
presently there.
4. The net impression I obtained from the above description of carrier
assets by Admiral Schoech was that while the Navy was only too glad to partici-
pate in the projected IDEALIST U-2 operation from carriers, they would need
to be instructed by JCS to do so, and there probably would have to be some
adjustment of their SIOP commitments in order to permit U-2 operations on a
launch and retrieve basis. I reassured the Admiral that our study at present
was principally being conducted on a "in-house" basis, and that before a U-2
flew from a CVA, there would be many echelons of approval, including NRO,
JRC, JCS, and Special Group to be gone through, and that in the last analysis
the President himself would probably have a hand in any determination to
employ the U-2 capability in this fashion. By way of rounding out the Navy's
CVA fleet, I should note that there are four other carriers in this class, but
these are basically upgraded CVS vessels of much smaller dimensions, tonnage,
and flexibility for U-2 operations. These are the "Ticonderoga", "Shangri-La",
"Hancock", and "Oriskanny". All in all the meeting with Admiral Schoech was
pleasant and I believe useful in obtaining his support for this projected activity.
I told him that we could not look forward to a capability before 1 February 1964,
assuming
our study.
Deputy Assistant DirOcto
(Special Activities)
 Distribution:
1 - DAD/OSA
2 -
3 - Mr. Elder
4 - DD/R
5 - AD/OSA
6 - D/FA/OSA
7 - SS/OSA
8 - C/PS/OSA
8 - RB/OSA
DAD/OSA:JACunningham, Jr. /mm