DULLES SAYS BAD GUESS LED TO THE 'MISSILE GAP'

Document Type:

CREST [1]

Collection:

General CIA Records [2]

Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST):

CIA-RDP70-00058R000200090108-1

Release Decision:

RIPPUB

Original Classification:

Document Page Count:

Document Creation Date:

November 16, 2016

Document Release Date:

May 8, 2000

Sequence Number:

108

Case Number:

Publication Date:

March 28, 1963

Content Type:

NSPR

File:

Attachment	Size
CIA-RDP70-00058R000200090108-1.pdf [3]	30.13 KB

Body:

EW YO;. C TIMESI MAR 2 8 1963 western EditioPproved For Release 2000/05/24: CIA-RDP70-00058R000 STATINTL Dulles Says Bad Guess Led to the `Missile Gap' WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI)-Allen W. Dulles, for?- nier director of the Centr Intelligence Agency, said .! - day that the United States i overestimated the Soviet Un- ion's military intentions in the 1950's and this gave rise to rumors of a missile and bomber gap. Mr. Dulles denied in an arti- cle published today that such a gap ever existed between the Soviet Union and the United States. The "missile .gap" was one of the major Democratic charges against the Eisenhower Administra- tion during the 1960 Presi- dential campaign. Writing in the April issue, of Hat-per's magazine, \1r. Dulles said that the C.I.A., responding to "great pi-c,.-;- sure" from the Defense De- partment, provided an educat- ed guess on projected Soviet missile production keyed to known eapabil.tie.s. But the Russians decided to ?1 develop intercontinental hal- listic missiles at a slower, more orderly rate instead of rushing their awkward, early- model. ICBM's to launching pads, Mr. Dulles wrote. When evidence of this ai~- peared, he added, the C.I.A. quickly lowered its cstimatcs. The same was true of the ap- parent Soviet decision in 1957 to limit heavy- homher produc- Lion drastic:ali'?. A Approved For Release 2000/05/24: CIA-RDP70-00058R000200090108-1