Evening star., 1955-08-28

ID sea command which will defend
Gen. Smith is a veteran" in this
sumo you mean the radar system.
This system does not have gaps as
such, but it does require projection
outward to furnish more warning
and a thickening in those areas OF
our country which contain our most
important potential targets. Work
to accomplish these aims is under
way.
@. During the recent Civil De-
fense Operation Alert" it was as
sumed Washington would have 313
hours to evacuate. Is 1t reasonable
to assume that much warning time?
Gen. Smith: There is no fixed
guarantee we can make. But their
assumption of warning time is rea-
sonable if they assume the Distant
Early Warning line is completed.
@. We know that NIKE-guided
missile stations ring major Ameri-
can cities, including Washington.
Are they far enough away from the
cities to be effective against planes
carrying a hydrogen bomb?
Gen. Smith: NIKE units are
sited around major cities and de-
fense installations in positions vary
ing from 10 to 20 miles from the
center of defense. They were To-
Gated with full knowledge Of the
potentialities of the hydrogen bomb.
In placing the sites you have to
compromise between lots Of NIKE
stations far out or a few closer in.
We had to operate. of course. under
budgetary limitations.
But we do feel that the combined
effectiveness of all-weather fighter
interceptors with their long range
of operation, the present range Of
NIKE missiles and the greater
capabilities of improved NIKE mis-
siles will provide a balanced ca
pability to defend our cities against
attacks by enemy bombers carrying
the hydrogen bomb, within the re-
sources allotted.
@. Is your primary mission TO
protect the Strategic Air Command
bases so that our own long-range
bomberS will be able to retaliate
against an enemy? Are the SAC
bases now ringed with a foolprO0f
defense?
Gen. Smith: Our retaliatory
strength must figure in the enelnys
plans, but protection of SAC cam
not be our primary mission. Our
primary mission is to protect the
people and the warmaking capa-
bility of the United States. Included
in this mission is, of course. protec-
ton of SAC bases.
Insofar as ringing any installa-
ton with foolproof defense is con-
cerned, the number of vital targets
in the United States precludes the
kind of hedgehog local defense
which I believe you visualize. We
must combine area defense weap-
onS. such as the fighter -interceptor
airplane, with local defense weap-
ons like NIKE. III order to achieve
an overall capability.
@. Have any yellow" alerts been
called? Has condition of "Air De-
fense Readiness" ever been called?
What were the circumstances?
Gen. Smith: The only yellow alert
called was that recent alarm on the
West Coast.
A Condition of Readiness" has
been ordered infrequently-perhaps
when a bit of intelligence comes
and indicates we had better bring
ourselves up to full strength. These
instances are not made public. 3
To our knowledge, however. the
continental United States has not
been penetrated or surveyed from
offshore by unauthorized foreign
aircraft.
@. All civilians would like to
know how effective CONAD would
he against mass enemy raid at
this time. What can you say about
this?
Gen. Smith: We would have to
make so many assumptions no
categorical answer could be pos
sible. You would have to tell me
the type and number of attacking
aircraft. the routes they take, the
tactics they use, weather condA>
tions, whether it is night or day,
what warnings in addition to radar
we would receive. even what day
of the year the raid would come.
Our objective in this air defense
business is to create a defensive
system which would insure ex-
tremely heavy losses to an attack
ing force. This capability, coupled
with the creation and maintenance
of strategic striking forces SO
powerful as to insure catastrophe
damage to an aggressor may well
be the means of preventing for all
time the horrors Of a nuclear war.