Not for ourselves alone : the evolution and role of the Titan II Missile in the cold war

Astronaut Gus Grissom called it a “Big Beast.” For General Curtis LeMay, it was the Strategic Air Command’s “Ultimate Weapon.” It was both feared and admired by the Soviet Union, while in NATO Europe it would come to be regarded as the symbol of American strength and resolve. It enabled NASA to capture the lead in the space race, held the Western Alliance together during some of its most difficult periods, and was praised by the Pentagon as a system that created a degree of deterrence far beyond what was expected.The Titan II, conceived as the second-generation ICBM that would close the impending missile gap following the launch of Sputnik in 1957, became the West’s largest and most threatening ballistic missile. For 25 years, from the end of the Cuban Missile Crisis to the eve of the collapse of the Soviet Bloc, 54 of these ten-story missiles, each capable of delivering 31⁄2 times the explosive power of all bombs dropped by allied forces in the European theater during World War II, were kept on alert in underground silos in the firm conviction that their very existence would deter war and restrain the ideological ambitions of the U.S.S.R. Not for Ourselves Alone traces the major developments in the Cold War that led to and justified the free world’s most devastating weapon and brings the story of the Titan II to life, going beyond the missile’s amazing technical features to explore the vision, genius and tenacity of the individuals responsible for creating America’s most powerful ICBM and the controversies that surrounded the missile from its inception to its much-delayed retirement in 1987.In an era when renewal of the Cold War seems increasingly possible, the history of the Titan II provides a unique perspective on the role of nuclear deterrence, the necessity of aggressively pursuing scientific and technological advances, the significance of adequate planning and flexibility in weapon acquisitions, the dangers and intricacies of arms negotiations, and the importance of maintaining America's national resolve when confronting determined and dangerous adversaries. CONTENTS AUTHOR’S NOTE INTRODUCTION Notes CHAPTER 1 Reassessing Expectations American Leadership The Berlin Blockade Notes CHAPTER 2 Postwar Hesitations Coming to Grips with Reality The Strategic Air Command Expecting More Notes CHAPTER 3 The State of Rocket Technology Lingering Impediments and Political Opposition Notes CHAPTER 4 HIROC VIKING NAVAHO Notes CHAPTER 5 A Different World Pursuit of the H-Bomb NSC-68 The Korean War Notes CHAPTER 6 MX-1593 Measuring the Competition Adjustments Ivy Mike Notes CHAPTER 7 The New Look Extended Deterrence Questions about the “Sunday Punch” The Teapot Committee Overcoming the Impossible Notes CHAPTER 8 Systems Management, Concurrency & Dual Development A Second ICBM A National Priority Notes CHAPTER 9 Vanguard Titan Unintended Consequences Notes CHAPTER 10 America’s IRBM Program Gambling on Inertial Guidance MIT’s Instrumentation Lab Basic System Precision Engineering PIGA Vindication Notes CHAPTER 11 Power Struggles within the Kremlin Khrushchev’s Strategic Solution Sandal and Skean – The SS-4 and -5 Notes CHAPTER 12 Sputnik The Gaither Committee Eisenhower’s Reaction Notes CHAPTER 13 Minuteman The Titan Upgrade The Search for Storable Liquid Propellants Approval Notes CHAPTER 14 “The Odd Missile Out” Advanced Design LeMay’s “Ultimate Weapon” A Struggle for Redemption Notes CHAPTER 15 Kennedy’s January Order WSEG No. 50 SIOP-62 Embracing Counterforce The March 28 Statement Notes CHAPTER 16 The Berlin Crisis Weighing Alternatives SIOP-63 Defense of NATO Notes CHAPTER 17 Operation Anadyr Discovery & Confrontation Negotiation & Resolution Notes CHAPTER 18 Developing a New Missile Titan II’s Damage Potential Target Candidates Notes CHAPTER 19 The Lunar Challenge Project Gemini Perfecting the GLV GLV Modifications Test Flights Conflict Resolution GLV Takes Flight Notes CHAPTER 20 First Efforts Gemini’s Twins Try, Try Again Concluding Missions Gemini’s Accomplishments Notes CHAPTER 21 The Launch Complex Launch Selection, Training and Evaluation Hazards Notes CHAPTER 22 The Soviet Buildup A Qualitative Arms Race A Trio of Reprieves Assuring Reliability Notes CHAPTER 23 SALT Negotiations Back Channels and Submarines The SALT Agreement Assessments Notes CHAPTER 24 Vulnerability MIRVing the Titan II – A Lost Opportunity Developing the MX SALT II Collapse of Détente Notes CHAPTER 25 Launch Complex 533-7 Launch Complex 374-7 Notes CHAPTER 26 Justifications Encroachments and Civilian Exposure Strategic Changes: SIOP-5 and Limited Nuclear Options The Political Factor MX Titan II Deactivation Notes CHAPTER 27 Notes BIBLIOGRAPHY Books Articles Papers Studies Reports National Archives National Security Archives NASA Archives Titan Missile Museum National Historic Landmark Archives Air Force Historical Research Agency Air Force Histories Air Force Training Manuals NASA Interviews Congressional Messages/Testimony Internet Materials ABOUT THE AUTHOR