Evening star., 1960-02-09
DEFENSE
Twining Says Joint Chiefs
Differed on Recommendations

BIO bomber program, but that
he favored the ruling not to
have an airborne alert.
He summed up his own
views this way:
II just do not believe that
any nation possesses today or
in the forseeable future the
capability to attack US or de-
stroy us without suffering un-
acceptable damage to them
selves"
Joint Chiefs at Odds
On specific programs in the
new military budget, Gen.
Twining made it clear that the
Joint Chiefs were anything but
unanimous in their recon-
mendations to the Secretary of
Defense.
The General said he believed
bomberS would still be useful
in the last half of this decade
but, he said in answer to ques-
tions, present bombers will be
obsolete at that time.
What will we have them"
Counsel Weisl asked.
I'VE will have none if not
the BIO" Gen. Twining re-
piled.
The Joint Chiefs discussed
the BIO and sent split rec
ommendation to the Secretary
of Defense. Gen. Twining said.
He would not say what the
recommendation was, but he
said, "the decision was made
to do otherwise" than what was
recommended by him and Gen.
Thomas D. White, Air Force
Staff chief. The final decision
was to reduce the program to
two prototype planes without
the special equipment designed
to make them super bombers.
Gen. Twining also testified
Gen. White entered a paper
into the Joint Chiefs requesting
the airborne alert Gen. Thomas
S. Power wanted" But Gen.
White added that the Joint
Chiefs, with his support, de-
cided to require an "alert ca
pability" rather than actual
flying.
Gen. Twining testified Gen.
White entered a paper into
the Joint Chiefs requesting the
airborne alert Gen. Thomas S.
Power wanted"
Asked if Gen. White had
been told that an actual alert :
was impossible for budgetary !
reasons and that if he wanted q
one he would have to cut some !,
other program, Gen. Twining Z
said he did not recall such
reply but that might be the n
way it would happen" .
Cannon Asks SAC Funds
Meanwhile, one military plea g
for more money seemed to be
making some headway. Repre-
sentative Cannon, Democrat of |
Missouri, chairman of the pow ,
erful House Appropriations (
Committee and traditionally a {
staunch economy advocate, I
asked in a speech before the {
House yesterday that more {
money be voted the Pentagon.
He urged that the $50 million {
asked by the President for a {
start on a standby airborne l
alert for the Strategic Air Com {
mand heavy bomberS be tripled.
THE situation is simple" he
said. "At the end of the Second
World War we were masters of I
the world. No one dared stand !
against us.
Then we let another nation
barely out Of barbarism outdis- &
tance us, so that they are today
superior in those areas in which {
we should be superior"
Mr.. Cannon said testimony =,
before his committee this year :.
that the missile gap does not !,
imply a deterrent gap '
because Americas over all
strength will deter wars-is !.
"quibbling." Congress should :
stop listening to "the admi- +
rails" he said, and focus on the
fact that defense economies :
have put this country behind
on land, sea and air. s
Burke Supports Budget S
The country's top admiral. +
Arleigh A. Burke, chief of ;
naval operations, told the :,
House Space Committee and the :
two Senate committees yester- =
day that he supports the admin {
istration budget even though
budget guidelineS" by the De- &
fense Secretary forced the Navy =
to reduce some requests it =
thought were militarily justi- ;
fed.
He cited cuts in Navy plans .
for a faster Polaris missile
submarine construction pro- :
gram, reductions in personnel, :
lags in ship modernization, re- =
duCtionS in aircraft purchases ;
and in flying time. But he said r
he had full opportunity to state .,
his case to his superiors, that +
they made their decisions on r
broader grounds" than he :
could and that he supports
their decisions.
But the Navy is asking for !
another billion dollars for six !,
additional PolariS subs. Re- :
cent successful Polaris tests :
make chances good for admin {
istration approval of the re-
quest, he said.
CARS