The Gaither Report (1957)

In November 1957 President Dwight Eisenhower received a report from the Security Resources Panel of the Science Advisory Committee. Dubbed the Gaither Report after its chairman, Horace Gaither, it offered a detailed set of recommendations – including the expansion of the US ballistic missile arsenal:

“The Security Resources Panel was asked to study and form a broad brush opinion of the relative value of various active and passive measures to protect the civil population in case of nuclear attack and its aftermath, taking into account probable new weapon systems; and to suggest which of the various active and passive measures are likely to be most effective…

While fulfilling its assignment, the Panel was also asked to study the deterrent value of our retaliatory forces… The Panel has therefore examined active and passive defence measures from two standpoints: their contribution to deterrence; and their protection to the civil population if war should come by accident or design.

We have found no evidence in Russian foreign and military policy since 1945 to refute the conclusion that USSR intentions are expansionist, and that her great efforts to build military power go beyond any concepts of Soviet defence… The evidence clearly indicates an increasing threat which may become critical in 1959 or early 1960. The evidence further suggests the urgency of proper time phasing of needed improvements in our military position…

The Panel has arrived at the following broad brush opinions as to the present situation:

In case of a nuclear attack against the continental United States:

1. Active defence programs now in being and programmed for the future will not give adequate assurance of protection to the civil population. If the attack were at low altitude, or at high altitude with electronic countermeasures (jamming), little protection would be afforded…

2. Passive defence programs now in being and programmed for the future will afford no significant protection to the civil population.

The protection of the United States and its population rests, therefore, primarily upon the deterrence provided by SAC [Strategic Air Command]. The current vulnerability of SAC to surprise attack during a period of lessened world tension… and the threat posed to SAC by the prospects of an early Russian ICBM capability, call for prompt remedial action…

Since the prevention of war would best protect our urban population, we assign the highest relative value to the following measures to secure and augment our deterrent power. These would protect our manned bombers from surprise attack, increase our forces available for limited military operations, and give us an earlier and stronger initial operational capability with intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Basic elements in this program are:

To lessen SAC vulnerability to a Russian surprise bomber attack in a period of low tension (a present threat)…

To increase SAC’s strategic offensive power (to match Russia’s expected early ICBM capability).

Increase the initial operational capability of our IRBMs (Thor and/or Jupiter) from 60 to 240.

Increase the initial operational capability of our ICBMs (Atlas and Titan) from 80 to 600.

Accelerate the initial operational capability of the Polaris submarine IRBM system, which offers the advantages of mobility and greatly reduced vulnerability.

Every effort should be made to have a significant number of IRBMs operational overseas by late 1958, and ICBMs operational by late 1959…

Augment our and Allied forces for limited military operations, and provide greater mobility, to enable us to deter or promptly suppress small wars which must not be allowed to grow into big ones…

The main protection of our civil population against a Soviet nuclear attack has been and will continue to be the deterrent power of our armed forces, to whose strengthening and securing we have accorded the highest relative value. But this is not sufficient unless it is coupled with measures to reduce the extreme vulnerability of our people and our cities…”