nuclear tactics, and second when you recommended to Cyrus Vance [then Deputy
Secretary of Defense] that I should introduce armed helicopters in Vietnam." The
idea of arming helicopters and using them in counterinsurgency operations was a
success, but had set back my career because of a roles and missions fight among
the military services.
"Now you're setting my career back again. The job as JCS representative to SALT
is a three-star billet and, as I know you're aware, despite my set-backs I'm once
again on track where I might get my fourth star."
"You military officers are too rank conscious," Jackson said. "You're always
concerned with your own interests. What about the country's best interests?" A
hard body blow!
" I ' m doing what I think is in the country's best interests," I said. "I'm backing
Steinhoff s idea of setting up reductions in conventional forces. And there's
nothing more important than reducing conventional forces."
"Wrong," said Jackson. "Reductions in nuclear arms are more important." Then,
deciding to hit me again where it hurt most, Jackson repeated a lecture on "Duty,
Honor and Country" he had given me earlier in my career. "Go ahead and take
the job of JCS rep to SALT II," he said. "The Soviets have two three-star
generals as their military representatives, while the U.S. has only one three-star
general. " Jackson was well aware of the' "double coverage" the Soviet military
would give me on the negotiating team.
"Two times three equal six," he said. "I'll see that you get a fourth star; the U.S.
will still only have two thirds of their number of stars at the negotiating table.And
if I fail he said, "who will know a hundred years from now whether you ended
your career as a three- or four-star general?"
It was a hard question to answer: in fact, who in a hundred years would remember
MBFR or SALT? In the end it was Jackson's " D u t y Honor, Country" lecture that
got to me. I knew that he was right and didn't protest further. I knew in my
heart, however, that I would never reach my ambition of becoming a four-star
general. I anticipated that the United States would never risk upstaging the Soviet
Union's military representatives. We would not seat a four-star general opposite
a Soviet three-star general, even if there were two of them. My assessment proved
to be correct; when Jackson later proposed that I be promoted, the Secretary of
State vetoed the idea.
Q ..
What did your job entail as the JCS representative to SALT?
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