MCNAMARA SAYS CARRIERS ARE NOT NEEDED IN MAJOR WAR

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP75-00149R000700440015-4
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 21, 2004
• Sequence Number: 15
• Content Type: NSPR

cNa ara Says Carne
Are Not 'Needed in' Major
emy, Senators Are Told.
WASHINGTON Mir-,t,, -)a seen
Missiles Are Adequate to Attack En-
Vessels Useful, but Bombers and
- - - -- ..u.aa a J. MCINANYUtA eeee. a,!,
dignlflcant but diminitting role for. aircraft. carrfd a In futon#
1Jrl1".1.111c
t
d S
c
tates military planning.
Th
eta prlnei ~
Services
I The limit an atomic
w
e n not affect the nuclear sttbtatitlne
COmmittee
imited and cold recently,
_ ul _ be in program: He said 29 woltl be at
war
l
.
"Mere are many potential
or y under COnBtatt lbt
;
b
?' txou
h spots In the world where
the attack carrier is and will
continue to be the only practical
%.means of bringing our air strik-
^'ng power to bear," McNamara
,;',said in 'testimony made public
yesterday.
However, he said that even
without carriers the United
States is capable of destroying
e~sentiaf targets in the Soviet
Union after an iniliat surprise
McNamara disclosed also than
intelligence estimates of RU:ssia', . ,
missile strength have been sub-'-4 `' 14
stantially reduced.
He said that 1960 critics of the
so-called missile gap leveled
h
t
eir charges in good faith."j~1f
The critics Included President'
nucie:,r artac'c. The. fob could be SENATOR STJART Symington;
bone, he said, hI the United (l)em.)_ Missouri- who was ^...._a,
bombers, intercanoinental hal. nary hearing. indicated h ' '
liat.iC missiles aaad '?ths Polaris thouaht the n i.E!gii'.:Irmn we. ir,t1. ~.5
lb. attack carri 'tu the missile strength had
wa.? role will ,Inish 10 duced 95.5 per cent
wlruuer proauctlon al
Navy's request- ? congressional McNamara did not
authorization tg onstruct an.
t
many
ntereontinen other carrier wA' %vis proposed I missiles Russia has
i*t the
ilit r
m
},. et before ! firing. But his sta
Congre,;a. ; / a
The 1`-`r A J .,rite reported 1, R_ossi us might -havg.
also that r .A.Ir .._ - _ _
fifth aunt -,,A Ir_r 8l frcc i I- C.FR M .. on
1,:ttl>:t'b