Precarious Security

New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1976. First Edition [Stated], First Printing [Stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Good. 22 cm. xi, [3], 143, [3] pages. Index. Front DJ flap price clipped, DJ slightly soiled, crease in DJ. General Maxwell Davenport "Max" Taylor (August 26, 1901 - April 19, 1987) was a senior United States Army officer and diplomat of the mid-20th century. He served with distinction in World War II, most notably as commander of the 101st Airborne Division, nicknamed "The Screaming Eagles". After the war he served as the fifth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, having been appointed by President John Kennedy. After the April 1961 failure of the Bay of Pigs Invasion, Kennedy, who felt the Joint Chiefs of Staff had failed to provide him with satisfactory military advice, appointed Taylor to head a task force to investigate the failure of the invasion. The Cuba Study Group met for six weeks from April to May 1961 to perform an "autopsy" on the disastrous events surrounding the Bay of Pigs Invasion. He was Special Consultant to the President and Chairman of the Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board (1965-1969). This book undertakes to answer the question "Can the United States remain secure in the coming decade despite the increase in valuables requiring protection and in potential threats to them?" The answer is a cautious affirmative hedged by conditions uncertain as to fulfillment. A principal proviso is the adoption of a national security policy and supporting programs providing adequate military means to deter nuclear war without engaging in a numbers race with the Soviets, to maintain military superiority in the Western Hemisphere and along essential sea lanes, and to provide an expeditionary force of moderate size to deal with unpredictable contingencies.