SOVIET VISIT BY NIXON

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28950, 18 July 1959, Page 13

SOVIET VISIT BY NIXON

Rickover Also To Go

(Rec. 8 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 16.

Vice-Admiral Hyman Kickover, who supervised construction of the first atomic submarine, will go to Russia with the United States Vice-President (Mr Nixon) next week.

Announcing this today, Mr Nixon said in a statement that Admiral Rickover “expects to have the opportunity to inspect Soviet developments in atomic ships and power.”

Mr Nixon noted that the Soviet First Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Frol Koslov, while in the United States inspected an atognic-powered cruiser under construction, visited a nuclear reactor laboratory at Berkeley. California, and an atbmic power station in Shippingort, Pennsylvania Testimony Admiral Rickovei gave before a House of Representatives appropriations subcommittee was released today The testimony. showed that he said the Russians would have atomic submarines in a relatively short time and might outstrip the United States in this field. Admiral Rickover told the subcommittee that the Soviet Union was trying out three nuclear reactors in its icebreaker Lenin. “If they can operate these reactors successfully on the. Lenin, there is no reason why they cannot operate them successfully in a submarine.” he said. “So I believe that in a relatively short time the Russians will have nuclear-powered submarines. And since they have the capacity to build 100 submarines a year, they can outstrip us in a very few years.” said Admiral Rickover. He said that in his personal opinion the United States should build more nuclear submarines as well as nuclear carriers and destroyers, even if this meant cutting down the total number of new ships built