Interview with Gene R. LaRocque, 1986

Item Information

Title:
Interview with Gene R. LaRocque, 1986
Description:
Gene La Rocque was a career naval officer who worked in the Strategic Plans Directorate of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff in the 1950s. He retired as a rear admiral. In the interview he recalls that during the Qemoy and Matsu crisis of 1958, the Navy discovered that its aircraft carriers had gradually converted to nuclear armaments, which meant that the U.S. could not have waged a significant conventional war if called upon. This was partly a function of the view that the Soviet Union was the United States’ only serious enemy. In addition, most in the military simply believed it was a good idea to acquire as many nuclear weapons as possible. He acknowledges that he and other planners, including John Eisenhower, the president’s son, agreed that nuclear arms were going to be a permanent feature and therefore should be built into U.S. war plans. He goes on to explain the relationships between the branches of the military, each of which vied for preeminence and believed it could win a war without the other branches. For its part, the Navy’s tactic was to make its nuclear submarines dual purpose, allowing them to handle the needs of both strategic bombing and naval warfare, so that the Strategic Air Command would not be able to take over its forces. Adm. La Rocque also explains President Eisenhower’s relationship with the military. He notes the latter’s largely unconstrained access to weapons procurement during the 1950s, backed strongly by the likes of John Foster Dulles and occurring to some degree without the full awareness of President Eisenhower. He then compares that era to the military’s relationship with Secretary of Defense McNamara, who “came in and said enough is enough.”
Interviewee:
La Rocque, Gene R. (Gene Robert), 1918-
Date:
March 11, 1986
Format:
Film/Video
Location:
WGBH
Collection (local):
WGBH Open Vault
Series:
War and Peace in the Nuclear Age
Subjects:
United States. Air Force
United States. Navy
Nuclear warfare
Military weapons
Nuclear weapons
Polaris (Missile)
Soviet Union
United States. Army
United States. Joint Chiefs of Staff
United States. Air Force. Strategic Air Command
Dulles, John Foster, 1888-1959
Eisenhower, John S. D., 1922-
Burke, Arleigh A., 1901-1996
McNamara, Robert S., 1916-2009
Gavin, James M. (James Maurice), 1907-1990
Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969
Taylor, Maxwell D. (Maxwell Davenport), 1901-1987
Places:
District of Columbia > Washington
China
Extent:
00:21:57:21
Link to Item:
http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/V_AAD20E23F2A944B48EEE1C7A08B98C43
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
WGBH Educational Foundation
Identifier:
V_AAD20E23F2A944B48EEE1C7A08B98C43