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This is the longest oral history, in terms of number of interviews and number of words, ever conducted by the Naval Institute. Between the two volumes, the transcript comprises nearly 600,000 words of text. The first volume begins with a discussion of the Mustin family background. The admiral's father, Captain Henry C. Mustin, was a pioneer in U.S. naval aviation. Lloyd Mustin graduated from the Naval Academy in the class of 1932 and embarked on a career that was rich in surface warfare experience. He served from 1932 to 1936 in the crew of the heavy cruiser Augusta (CA-31); one of the skippers during that time was Captain Chester Nimitz. Mustin served from 1936 to 1938 in the destroyer Lamson (DD-367), then was a postgraduate student in ordnance and fire control, 1938-40. In 1940-41 he was at the Dahlgren Proving Ground and the Naval Gun Factory in ordnance development. As the nation embarked in World War II, Mustin was in the crew of the light cruiser USS Atlanta (CL-51) in 1941-42, during her entire commissioned service. He describes his experiences in the night surface battle off Guadalcanal in November 1942 that resulted in the sinking of the cruiser. After that, 1942-43, he served on the staff of Commander Naval Bases, Solomon Islands. Returning to sea duty, he served in early 1943 in the light cruiser USS San Diego (CL-53). In 1943-44 he was gunnery officer in the commissioning crew of the light cruiser USS Miami (CL-89) and was on board during combat operations in the Pacific. This volume begins in late 1944 when Mustin transferred to the staff of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr., Commander Battleship Squadron Two, during the course of combat operations in the Western Pacific. In the spring of 1945 Lee and Mustin returned to the United States to establish Composite Task Force, Atlantic Fleet, in order to devise methods for dealing with Japanese kamikazes. After Lee's death, the command transformed into the Operational Development Force, and Mustin remained on the staff of the new organization. He subsequently served in 1946-48 in the research division of the Bureau of Ordnance. From 1948 to 1950 he commanded the destroyer USS Keppler (DD-765). Subsequent duties were heavy on destroyer experience: 1950-51, on the staff of Commander Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet; 1951-54, Weapons Systems Evaluation Group; 1954-55, command of the destroyer tender USS Piedmont (AD-17); 1956-57, command of Destroyer Squadron 13; 1957-58, chief of staff to Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force Pacific Fleet; 1958-59, command of Destroyer Flotilla Two. While serving as the flotilla commander as a rear admiral, Mustin was in command of Project Argus high-altitude nuclear weapons tests in the South Atlantic. In 1959-60 he commanded Key West Naval Base; the transcript contains interesting stories about the flag quarters, which had served as Little White House for President Harry S. Truman. In 1960-61 Mustin headed the Antisubmarine Warfare Readiness Executive in OpNav. Then, from 1961 to 1964 he was as Deputy Commander and later Commander Joint Task Force Eight during nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific. The tests were the last conducted in the atmosphere by the United States before the adoption of a nuclear weapons testing ban that President John F. Kennedy had pushed for.
This is the longest oral history, in terms of number of interviews and number of words, ever conducted by the Naval Institute. Between the two volumes, the transcript comprises nearly 600,000 words of text. The first volume begins with a discussion of the Mustin family background. The admiral's father, Captain Henry C. Mustin, was a pioneer in U.S. naval aviation. Lloyd Mustin graduated from the Naval Academy in the class of 1932 and embarked on a career that was rich in surface warfare experience. He served from 1932 to 1936 in the crew of the heavy cruiser Augusta (CA-31); one of the skippers during that time was Captain Chester Nimitz. Mustin served from 1936 to 1938 in the destroyer Lamson (DD-367), then was a postgraduate student in ordnance and fire control, 1938-40. In 1940-41 he was at the Dahlgren Proving Ground and the Naval Gun Factory in ordnance development. As the nation embarked in World War II, Mustin was in the crew of the light cruiser USS Atlanta (CL-51) in 1941-42, during her entire commissioned service. He describes his experiences in the night surface battle off Guadalcanal in November 1942 that resulted in the sinking of the cruiser. After that, 1942-43, he served on the staff of Commander Naval Bases, Solomon Islands. Returning to sea duty, he served in early 1943 in the light cruiser USS San Diego (CL-53). In 1943-44 he was gunnery officer in the commissioning crew of the light cruiser USS Miami (CL-89) and was on board during combat operations in the Pacific. This volume begins in late 1944 when Mustin transferred to the staff of Vice Admiral Willis A. Lee, Jr., Commander Battleship Squadron Two, during the course of combat operations in the Western Pacific. In the spring of 1945 Lee and Mustin returned to the United States to establish Composite Task Force, Atlantic Fleet, in order to devise methods for dealing with Japanese kamikazes. After Lee's death, the command transformed into the Operational Development Force, and Mustin remained on the staff of the new organization. He subsequently served in 1946-48 in the research division of the Bureau of Ordnance. From 1948 to 1950 he commanded the destroyer USS Keppler (DD-765). Subsequent duties were heavy on destroyer experience: 1950-51, on the staff of Commander Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet; 1951-54, Weapons Systems Evaluation Group; 1954-55, command of the destroyer tender USS Piedmont (AD-17); 1956-57, command of Destroyer Squadron 13; 1957-58, chief of staff to Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force Pacific Fleet; 1958-59, command of Destroyer Flotilla Two. While serving as the flotilla commander as a rear admiral, Mustin was in command of Project Argus high-altitude nuclear weapons tests in the South Atlantic. In 1959-60 he commanded Key West Naval Base; the transcript contains interesting stories about the flag quarters, which had served as Little White House for President Harry S. Truman. In 1960-61 Mustin headed the Antisubmarine Warfare Readiness Executive in OpNav. Then, from 1961 to 1964 he was as Deputy Commander and later Commander Joint Task Force Eight during nuclear weapons tests in the Pacific. The tests were the last conducted in the atmosphere by the United States before the adoption of a nuclear weapons testing ban that President John F. Kennedy had pushed for.
The unbelievable true story of an American Cold War scheme to detonate nuclear bombs in space is revealed in this military history exposé. The summer of 1958 was a nerve-racking time. The Soviet Union’s launch of Sputnik drew America into a game of nuclear one-upmanship. Tensions escalated between the two superpowers over their respective nuclear weapons reserves, both sides desperate for a solution to the imminent threat of massive destruction. In America, an outlandish yet ingenious idea was raised by the eccentric physicist Nicholas Christofilos: launching atomic bombs into outer space to fry incoming Soviet ICBMs with an artificial radiation belt. Known as Project Argus, this secret plan was the riskiest scientific experiment in history. In Burning the Sky, Mark Wolverton draws on recently declassified sources to tell this incredible, unknown story. Burning the Sky chronicles Christofilos’s unconventional idea from its inception to execution—when the so-called mad scientist persuaded the military to use the entire Earth’s atmosphere as a laboratory. A meticulously researched tale that reads like a sci-fi thriller, Burning the Sky will intrigue any lover of scientific or military history.
Admiral Mack was gunnery officer in the USS John D. Ford (DD-228) on the Asiatic Station when World War II began. He was involved in the early battles of Makassar Strait, Badoeng Strait, the Java Sea, and the Coral Sea. He tells of pioneering responsibilities in amphibious warfare in the Aleutians; of his duty as XO of the USS Preston (DD-795) during strikes on Japan, the Philippines, and Formosa; his duty as aide to Secretaries of the Navy Gates, Franke, and Connally; his planning of the naval review for President John F. Kennedy in 1962; his tour with General Victor H. Krulak, USMC, in counterinsurgency during Cuban Missile Crisis and the early days of involvement in Vietnam. In 1963 Mack served as Chief of Information for the Secretary of the Navy. He relates experiences when the F-111 was in the news and when the Tonkin Gulf was an issue. In the second volume of his oral history Admiral Mack continues his discussion of duties as Chief of Information and his dealings with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Highlights in this volume include: Commander Amphibious Group Two; conducting training with Marine Corps; serving as recovery commander for various space-recovery shots; Deputy Assistant SecDef (Manpower & Reserve Affairs); working with Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird; in 1971, under CNO Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Commander Seventh Fleet (the first post-World War II non-aviator in that job); conducting mining of Haiphong Harbor and operations against the North Vietnamese; and in 1972, Superintendent of the Naval Academy until his retirement in 1975.
This is a delightfully told memoir from the man who was probably the Navy's foremost fighter plane tactician of World War II. He is best known as the inventor of the "Thach Weave," whereby U.S. fighters could successfully combat Japanese Zeros. Thach tells of devising the maneuver at home with kitchen matches. In a series of enjoyable tales, Thach describes his Naval Academy years, graduating in 1927, early experience in patrol planes and fighters, flying with Butch O'Hare, early combat operations against the Japanese, culminating in the Battle of Midway, teaching tactics at the Navy's Operational Training Command, making training films to indoctrinate new pilots, and then acting as operations officer when he returned to the combat theater on the staff of Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Commander Task Force 38. The second volume contains Thach's account of service on the staff of Fast Carrier Task Force, Pacific (Task Force 38), culminating with his presence on the deck of the USS Missouri (BB-63) for the Japanese surrender. After the war, he was director of training at Pensacola and special assistant to Vice Admiral "Black Jack" Reeves in fighting off attempts by the Air Force to take over naval aviation. He commanded the escort carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118) in the early stages of the Korean War as Marine Corsairs provided close air support, then was senior naval aide to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Air, John Floberg. Thach commanded the large carrier USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVB-42) during a Mediterranean deployment and had a tour as commander of naval air bases in the Sixth Naval District. After serving as senior member of the Weapon Systems Evaluation Group, he commanded Carrier Division 16/Task Group Alfa in hunter-killer antisubmarine-warfare work. As a vice admiral, he commanded Anti-Submarine Warfare Force Pacific Fleet and was Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air). After being promoted to four stars, he served as Commander in Chief U.S. Naval Forces Europe.
Admiral Mack was gunnery officer in the USS John D. Ford (DD-228) on the Asiatic Station when World War II began. He was involved in the early battles of Makassar Strait, Badoeng Strait, the Java Sea, and the Coral Sea. He tells of pioneering responsibilities in amphibious warfare in the Aleutians; of his duty as XO of the USS Preston (DD-795) during strikes on Japan, the Philippines, and Formosa; his duty as aide to Secretaries of the Navy Gates, Franke, and Connally; his planning of the naval review for President John F. Kennedy in 1962; his tour with General Victor H. Krulak, USMC, in counterinsurgency during Cuban Missile Crisis and the early days of involvement in Vietnam. In 1963 Mack served as Chief of Information for the Secretary of the Navy. He relates experiences when the F-111 was in the news and when the Tonkin Gulf was an issue. In the second volume of his oral history Admiral Mack continues his discussion of duties as Chief of Information and his dealings with Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. Highlights in this volume include: Commander Amphibious Group Two; conducting training with Marine Corps; serving as recovery commander for various space-recovery shots; Deputy Assistant SecDef (Manpower & Reserve Affairs); working with Secretary of Defense Melvin Laird; in 1971, under CNO Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Commander Seventh Fleet (the first post-World War II non-aviator in that job); conducting mining of Haiphong Harbor and operations against the North Vietnamese; and in 1972, Superintendent of the Naval Academy until his retirement in 1975.
Coming from a rural background in South Carolina, Lee enlisted in the Navy in 1940 and became an aviation mechanic before entering pre-flight training. He became a naval aviator in 1943 and the following year joined the carrier Essex (CV-9), from which he flew first as a bomber pilot, then in an F6F fighter. In the postwar period, he returned to the attack role, flying SB2Cs and ADs. He completed his college education in the late 1940s, then served two combat tours in the Korean War. After postgraduate education in nuclear weapons effects, he had a tour in experimental squadron VX-3, then taught senior officers about nuclear weapons. He commanded VA-46, an A4D squadron, was on the staff of the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff in Omaha, and was air group commander in the USS Enterprise (CVAN-65). He was selected for the Navy's nuclear power program by Admiral Hyman Rickover and underwent training. He commanded the amphibious warfare ship Alamo (LSD-33) just as the United States was getting involved in the Vietnam War. In the mid-1960s Lee served in the Pentagon as executive assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research and Development). From 1967 to 1969 he was commanding officer of the nuclear-powered carrier Enterprise (CVAN-65). A considerable part of this volume is devoted to his command of that ship, including two fatiguing combat tours off Vietnam, the Pueblo (AGER-2) crisis, the demands of Admiral Rickover, and a visit from President Lyndon Johnson. Afterward he served as head of the Office of Program Appraisal for Secretary of the Navy John Chafee. As a three-star admiral, Lee was the top-ranking naval officer at the Joint Strategic Target Planning Staff. The bulk of Lee's time as a flag officer was spent in the Naval Air Systems Command, first as assistant commander for maintenance and fleet support, finally as overall commander. In the latter job, as he explains, he had an instrumental role in the development of the F/A-18 Hornet. He retired in 1976. Lee's openness and candor throughout his oral history make it a particularly valuable one.
Weschler was not commissioned at the time of his graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1939 because he did not meet the vision standards. Thus he became a merchant marine officer and served until joining the Naval Reserve in 1941 and being recalled to active duty. He taught briefly at the Naval Academy, then served in the carrier USS Wasp (CV-7) and was on board when she was torpedoed and sunk in September 1942. Later he was in combat operations in the destroyers USS Sigsbee (DD-502) and USS Young (DD-580). Weschler took a postgraduate course in ordnance engineering, including study with Dr. Stark Draper at MIT. He was then gunnery officer in the heavy cruiser USS Macon (CA-132) and on the staff of Commander Cruisers Atlantic Fleet. After duty at the Naval War College, Weschler commanded the destroyer USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668). He was selected as the first personal aide for Admiral Arleigh Burke, who became Chief of Naval Operations in 1955. Weschler's oral history provides fascinating insights into Burke's personality and working style. Afterward, Weschler was executive officer of the guided missile cruiser USS Canberra (CAG-2) and then worked on the development of the Polaris missile guidance and fire-control system. For several years, beginning in 1962, Weschler was involved in various aspects of the developing war in Southeast Asia. As a student at the National War College, he studies South Vietnam and made a visit there as part of a class field trip. Then he commanded the attack transport USS Montrose (APA-212) during Pacific Fleet exercises. On the staff of Commander Amphibious Force Pacific Fleet, he participated in large-scale exercises, then helped do the planning for the 1965 landing at Danang. As Commander Amphibious Ready Group Seventh Fleet, he executed Dagger Thrust raids in Vietnam, then in 1966, upon selection for rear admiral, became the first flag officer as Commander Naval Support Activity Danang. In 1967 he became program coordinator for the DX/DXG program that led eventually to the Spruance-class destroyers and Virginia-class frigates. Later tours of duty were as Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Two and Commander Cruiser-Destroyer Force Atlantic Fleet. Finally, as a vice admiral, Weschler headed J-4, the logistics branch of the Joint Staff, during the 1973 Yom Kippur War and Arab oil embargo. Following retirement in 1975, he taught at the Naval War College.