REF ID:A39421 

lttatter u .L 11'act • "'~,,. By Joseph dlld Stewart Alsop I 

Tfie·T~~~ .of IVilson PtFST ;> :J '11t'f S3 · 

THE REAL C(Uestiott about. practical assei::i:me11t o{ the lial componenti:i of an .improved I 

the Administratfou's rontrover· problem. instead nf a purely American ;iir defense system, 

sial defense program is not. scientific aud theoretic11I 11s· that wilt eventnally guard us I 

whether earlie1· defense plan· sessmenl. <i.gainst tht- app:llling danger 1 ning was practical or impracti- Tiielr. karlC'r wa:c: lh1;1 1110::;1. that iR known to lie ahead. '1 

cal, wa11teful or economiral.' eminent i:ciPntist-imlusl.ri11li1<t. Tlm~e things arP. now The question is whr.lher Srrrr.- in this ro1111tr~·. nr. 1\fan·in ,I. 11,..Nlrrl, ir this rl:rngrr is tn 

f.ary oC DefCm:c Wilson .ill going .Kr.lly or I hr Brll Trl,..ph1111r. h<> J:!Ullrrlrrl 11r.11i11sl. Thr. Prnla· on the rule th11t. ader111nt.r. an!l L:ibor::1l.oriri:. llohrrt Wilson or r,1111, with iii; rnmplr.x ch:rnnrls 

.reasonable American df'fcnses Sland11rrl Oil of l11dim1a. Pr<'si- smd i11te1 srrd<·<' rlispul.<'s. if. 

)lave first pl'iorit.y. dent Fl'erlrrkk l,. ITonlr. of 1101. the plaer. whr.l'P. a who!<' 

1 The1·e is a lot. or f'virlPnce, l'm·dur., :mrl Prof. ( 'h:irles C. nrw weapnns syi:;trm r:in hr. 

by now, that first priority nrny Lauritsen \\'el'<' olhrr mr.mhrri:;. designed n n d <"otrnl ruded. 

hl\V.e been given to olht-r aims, These men, so conspicno11sly Something like a new Manhat.· such~ as balancing the budget, hard-he11rled 11s well as so ex- lol1n District Prn.i.,ct is required 

reducing taxeR, and hl'inging pertly qualified to judgt>. have to huild up ancl pm·fecl the air 

the wild chaos o( the Pentagon spent five monthi: weighing defenses tltal. this country 

under effective manllgerial con- every t·cJev1111t fact. Ewm if the needs. 

trol. But the evidence is not Lincoln program is condemned, Then res011rres lire rnqnired 

as yet fin a] and decisive, be· the reco111111('11flatio11~ of this lo finance I he r.fiorl. H Seem· 

cause Secretar.v Wilson might Kelly committee cannot be tarv Wilson and Underser.re· 

well have dc'lle C\;t:'ryt.hing that. brushed :i:;irl~ <':< "i111rr11rtkal.'' tary l<yl's :irP. 1101. to ignorl' thr. 

J1e has done in 11rclP.r tn dear Third anrl final!~·.· lhl" •:0111- Kelly rerorl. lliey will hRYe t.o 

t.he decks for a more efiicieut. promise progr~m pul fr:inviirrl ;isk for l°'Pl·11·ren o.ne :ind tll'o 

effort. by the Kelly r.ommittre ii; billion rloll:irs llfldition:1l llJ 

The tesl. of whether Se<:re- known tn l:iE> mnc\f'rnle :iml tina.nr::e thP. improvement of I he I 

tary Wilson ts primarily con· c11refuJ. It. rJoP!l 1101. urgr. llrn ;iir warning :mrl communir.a· 

cerned with his primary .iob, immediate rxp1111dit.ure nf hugr tirini: system:; I h11t the KPllr , 

which is defending thi;:: coun· sums on E!flUipment that. hM rr.port. sprl'ilknll:v cowri;. ; 

try, is occurri11g al. I.his mo· not been arkr11111tely pr"'·en. Finally. a 11111rh grealer effort. 

ment. 'fhe i;o-called Kelly re- But it does urge 111:-iking a st.art. is also 11eedf'1! to build up the 

port, recommending an Ameri· now, to huild an efJr.clive air force of fighlr:>r-interceptors, · can air defense proj?ram, is defense system around the withoul \Vhich the best waming i now in the bands of Secretary equipment that bas been fully system is usclr.s~- Here again, ; 

Wilson and Undersecretary proven. large appropria.Uon~. over aud ! 

Roger Kyes. ~ ah~ve those_ in the budget, will I 

One of the Kelly report's A GREAT de:il o( r.ctuiprnent h;ive to be 1 E'queslr.rl. 

major recommendations is that has in. fart surressfully passed · .If Secretary Wilson and his 

.the people of this country he through the Jong stage of re· <"nllcagues l111vP 011ly been I 

·acquainted with the hard facts search and development. EarJy clearing the decks for a mor'! 

of their situation. A draft sum- warning nets can now be bm 'l t. " ftfl'1c1'ent P.f1n1·t, · lhr.y will do all I 

mary ot the air defen:;e prob-· Waming on the i:;e:t flanks can these thinJ:i:. If they are follow· 

lem, suitable for publication, now. be organized. A proper ing in the footsteps of the un. has been given to Wilson and J t d L · \ J h11~ ·11 I air defel'lse communications amen e oms 1. • o .. o , 

.Kyes. Will they publish, or will system, that will. not. break th~y will go 011 p_rete!1ding tl~at I 

.they suppress this document? ·down under saturating attacks, l111s probl~m, which ~1terally m- l 

Will they act on the Kelly can nciw be put togP.lher. Good volves nat10nal survival, can .~e report, or will they shove the 11• th r· ht b sol\'ed with mirrors. . whole painful problem back. a wea e~. ,g er11 r.an now e . . I 

under .the rug? There -~Q:Uld .p¢ produced .. l hesP. are I.he essen- con•·l'l'!'ht. 19;3. N. v. Herold Tribune.:. Inc 

·110 more final and dcr.1~1ve h11al I 

of the purposes and character. 

of the new de~se leadership; · 1 

THIS JS true for three.I 

reasons. First of all, there is I 

the nature of 1 he problem it· 1 

self. As l111s been emphasized 

befq~~ .in _t~?i~ RJ!ac7, the growth 

of Soviet a1r-ifom1c power will . expose this country to actnal . destructfon, at the will of the 

· Kremlin, within the short 

space of two to four years. Our 

existing air defenses are worth· 

less. Ani:l the futu1·e danger, 

sureJy, is one that cannot be 

ignored by reasoning men. 

Second, there is the character 

of the Ke1ly report. The warning signal concerning the air 

defense problem was originally 

raised by Project Uncoln, a · massive research task force of 

the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology. The Lincoln warn· ings have been fully confirmed, 

but the Lincoln proAram for 

warding off the future danger 

has been much crilkizccl as overambitious, exce~sively fhe· 

oretical and m·erexprl'imr.111 rtl. I · The men who prepared the 

Kelly report were chosen by 

former Secretary of Defense 

Robett A. Lovett for the precise purpose of a hard-headed,