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If you read about RAND and Air Force policy at the time in general, and LeMay’s beliefs specifically, it’s a very real likelihood. The dude wasn’t parodied in D
by Spooky23 4y ago
If you read about RAND and Air Force policy at the time in general, and LeMay’s beliefs specifically, it’s a very real likelihood. The dude wasn’t parodied in Dr. Strangelove for nothing.
This stuff is published now and terrifying.
LeMay was the architect of the firebombing of Japan and the North Korean population that killed as much as 20% of the population. Applying air power to kill until capitulation was the basis of strategy.
A common belief among the Air Force leadership was that nuclear weapons were a wasting asset that would be rendered moot once the Soviets were able to build out their arsenal. At the particular point in time, the US had an overwhelming superiority that was shrinking. There was a serious belief the preemptive war was critical while the window of superiority was open. That position was pushed strongly during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Pushback to President Eisenhower’s moves to control planning escalated to the point where Eisenhower demanded compliance or resignation from SAC leaders.
Was that all serious or just bluster to scare to Soviets? It could be - fear of an uncontrolled madman might discourage escalation. Fortunately, we didn’t find out.
- arethuza 4y agoI believe by 1961 Le May had handed SAC over the General Powers as head of SAC, not exactly a man known for his subtlety: "Restraint? Why are you so concerned with saving their lives? The whole idea is to kill the bastards. At the end of the war if there are two Americans and one Russian left alive, we win!"
- sillywalk 4y agoAfterwards, Professor William Kaufmann from the RAND Corporation, losing his patience, noted: "Well, you'd better make sure that they're a man and a woman." -
- eecc 4y agoWas this guy inspiration to Kubrik for his Dr. Strangelove film? If so, which character in particular?
- moffkalast 4y agoSounds a lot like General Ripper.
- arethuza 4y agoIn the excellent (if rather terrifying) The Doomsday Machine: Confessions of a Nuclear War Planner Daniel Ellsberg describes going to see Dr Strangelove and basically concluding that a lot of the movie was pretty realistic - particularly the delegated use of nuclear weapons by a base commander without the approval of the President. This was actually possible for a long time even though publicly it was always said that only the President could authorise the use of nuclear weapons.
- p_l 4y agoYes. I think as early as Truman or Eisenhower the president would authorise the use with discretion delegated to local commanders, though I think there were some general rules of engagement attached to authorisations.
- elefanten 4y agoThanks for detailed reply. My rebuke may have been hyperbolic itself. Agree with you and the others who noted it’s a conceivable outcome and an interesting counterfactual. I was most acutely replying to the “no way he would…” framing. Top objection (besides the real, if pedestrian, point about certainty) is that, whatever a leader’s public messaging and/or bluster might include, the decision to kill millions as an organizational cover-up doesn’t seem like something one could easily project. Especially when retaliation risk would include the possibility of further detonations on home soil. I’m not well versed in military history, but I understand LeMay’s story to be more complex than ‘bloodthirsty war criminal’ (and that’s including his own comments ~ “if we lost, I suppose I’d be a war criminal”). The Pacific theatre was nightmarish on all sides.