Evening star., 1961-06-19
~ the Associated Press

- viz AooOIAabGO
Vice Admiral Hyman G..
Rickover says Congress ought
to consider abolishing the SER
vice academies IF drastic steps
are not taken Immediately to
improve them"
The Sharp-tongued admiral,
himself an Annapolis graduate,
leveled this and other blasts
at service practices in secret
testimony last month to the
House Appropriations Commit
tee. His remarks were made
public yesterday.
There was no immediate
comment from the Navy on his
views.
AS a start toward improving
things. the pepper tongued
father Of the nuclear Subma-
rine advocated getting rid of
nearly one-third of the Navy'S
officers and drastically reform
ing or closing down the military
academies.
Would Cut Officers
Il believe we have about TO-
900 officers in the Navy" Ad-
miral Rickover said. "One of
the most salutory things that
could be done to improve naval
efficiency would be to reduce
this number by 10000"
Admiral Rickover raked the
Navy from stem to stern after
shocking the House Appropri-
ations Committee with testi-
mony that he didn't need any
more money for nuclear re-
actors, wasn't asking for more
and might we'll be returning
some funds previously made
available.
The little man who bucked
the Navy system to get accept
ance of nuclear power heaped
Scorn on that system as fool
proof device for the evasion
of responsibility" by officers
who move in and out of jobs
every few years.
Rotation Criticized
I'VE should at once knock off
this internal rotation of mill
tary people" said Admiral
Rickover. He contended the
Navy seems to exist for career
planning to make certain that
every Naval officer has exactly
the same chance to become
Chief of Naval Operations"
The Admiral blamed this
state Of affairs on the military
educational system which he
said produces officers who are
living in an age that has disap-
peared."
Admiral Rickover brushed
aside the Navy postgraduate
schooling as a place to train
officers to get better jobs on
the outside. then he lit into the
Naval Academy.
Calls Officers Putterers
The midshipmen of Annap-
oils. said Annapolis graduate
Rickover, ARE a regimented
group being trained for a Navy
which no longer exists by
officers. many of whom do not
know the real needs of today S
Navy and who are not aware
that they don't know"
He urged Congress to con-
slider "abolishing the service
academies if drastic steps
are not taken Immediately to
improve them"
Admiral Rickover based his
call for such extreme action on
his belief that nine out of ten
Academy students stop think
ing and studying after gradu-
alton. He said he found them
puttering around the house,
repairing cars, building fur
niture and becoming nest
builders and bird-hatchers."
Naval Practices Hit
The 61-year-old officer, no
novice at treading on the toes
of service brass, also had some
harsh words for the way the
Navy is run. If a business were
operated the same way, he said.
it would be ruined unless it had
unlimited capital or employed
"a damn good forger."
Admiral Rickover. who was
in charge of the Navy prof.
ect which produced the first
atomic powered submarine,
Nautilus. is assistant chief of
the Bureau of Ships for nuclear
propulsion. He also heads the
Atomic Energy Commissions
naval reactors branch.
On President Kennedy's or
ders, he will be permitted to
stay on active duty for two
more years after he reaches
normal retirement age next
year.
In discussing the Naval
Academy at Annapolis, Admiral
Rickover said he had inter-
viewed some 80 of the top
ranking classmen to determine
whether they we're qualified
for entry into the nuclear train
ing program directly upon
graduation.