Blast-Off

One of President Eisenhower's privately voiced suspicions is that overzealous missilemakers help fan congressional and public demands for larger missile programs. Last week an overzealous missilemaker seemed to prove the President right--and in so doing, did no good to the cause of U.S. defense that he has capably served.

The missilemaker was handsome, tough talking Thomas Lanphier Jr., 44, wartime fighter pilot and Navy Cross winner (for gunning down the plane carrying Japan's naval commander, Admiral Isoroku Ya-mamoto), who is a vice president of General Dynamics' Atlas-making Convair division. To an audience of 40 junketeering newsmen and Air Force brass, Lanphier in one evening 1) gave a hard sell for the Atlas, whose capabilities even the President has highly praised: 2) pushed an obvious soft pedal for the Martin Co.'s competing Titan; 3) upbraided the press for not paying more heed to the U.S. defense crisis; and 4) attacked the President for gambling with the nation's survival.

Emphasizing that he was wearing his orivate citizen's hat, Lanphier sandwiched in his remarks while acting as master of ceremonies at a squab and wild rice dinner hosted by Convair at San Diego's Kona Kai Club. He was "glad," he noted, that a Titan had finally fired successfully, but the Atlas "could fly as far, hit as accurately and carry as much weight as the Titan. The only difference is that the Atlas is 1 1/2 years ahead and is doing it now." Backing up the Strategic Air Command's plea for an airborne SAC alert, he said: "Any person without bias--that is, not trying to sell missiles or balance the budget--has got to assume that the President is taking a dangerous, dangerous gamble with our national survival. I don't think he has the right."

So often and bluntly have California missilemakers blasted off that veteran West Coast newsmen were barely impressed by Lanphier's hand grenades. But reporters visiting from the East were plainly shocked and sat down at their typewriters to say as much. Said a White House spokesman of Lanphier's performance: "It sounded incredible."

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