ADMIRAL HYMAN RICKOVER - 60 MINUTES (CBS; 6/23/1985). Diane Sawyer profiles Admiral Hyman Rickover, father of the nuclear U.S. Navy submarine fleet. Former president Jimmy Carter, one of Adm. Rickover's past officers is also interviewed.
Me and Adm. Rickover were born 50 km apart. I was born in Belaruss, he was born in Poland. (Macow). Both of us are Jewish. But Rickover 100X smarter then me.
Fascinating fellow but I don't think his personality would be acceptable in today's woke Navy, along with the softness & sensitivity that has infiltrated all aspects of our society, including all branches of the military; in short, the feminization of males in general & once male-dominated institutions. Despite Rickover's brilliance as an engineer & obvious contributions to U.S. naval history, his tart tongue & nonconformist views strike one now, myself included, as extremely abrasive & off-putting. I imagine hundreds of applicants to his nuclear program fell by the wayside, rejected by Rickover at the first interview, and/or opted voluntarily to quit soon after admittance, unable to cope with the Admiral's relentless pressure for performance & perfection. Of course, how can one fault the guy's dedication to duty, commitment to the nuclear program, etc.? I'm sure a no-nonsense attitude was essential. Ironically, though, the man came-off in the interview, as the man he no doubt truly was, i.e., as completely unlikeable, over-the-top acerbic, egocentric & arrogant. Also rather too quick to label everyone "stupid". Amusing it is not. Unfair? Probably. My point is that such characteristics just don't cut it today, assuming they did even way back in the 1950's, when Rickover was a much younger fellow. Of course, the U.S. Navy was a totally different institution in that long-ago era. Obviously, Rickover never mellowed, even in retirement. What Sawyer SHOULD'VE asked him was HOW he got into the nuclear program? Why was he so interested in creating a nuclear submarine force? Why did it mean so much to him? Beyond Annapolis, his naval career wasn't discussed. It jumped directly to Nautilus. After watching this interview, I'm still not sure if Rickover was just putting Sawyer on, trying to appear as a petulant old codger, or what. Occasionally, the slightest trace of a quickly-subjugated smile crossed his lips, barely discernible. So I don't know. In the final analysis, I guess I'd say that Rickover was a great brain but a thoroughly despicable human being. Yes, the man had what it took to get things done, to motivate the best performances out of his people, all to the good. Considering his task & laser-focused mindset, I understand Rickover's insightful abhorrence toward being a pleasant, easygoing Mr. Nice Guy. I wonder, though, just how many of his underlings were given ulcers & migraines, had spells of violent puking, or even experienced nervous-breakdowns under their boss' pulverizing pace & super-human expectations? My suspicion is that Rickover was something of an actor & he knew it. He saw himself as playing a part & played it---sort of a 20th-century Ahab. Nevertheless, the guy probably was too severe by many degrees, far too much of a "cold-fish", no pun intended, totally lacking in all of the normal, warm, human graces, whether intentional or not. The scandal that was brewing at the time of Sawyer's interview, involving Rickover's gift-taking, is puzzling & troubling to me. For a smart guy, this seems pretty darn dumb to me. I guess we can thank the man for his services, contributions to naval history, & the fostering of U.S. security during a time of great international tensions, etc., but we don't have to miss him or bemoan his passing.
@@DonWan47 pushed for the development of nuclear reactors, and in a sensible way, against a lot of resistance from the diesel ship lobby. for anyone who ever succeeded in fighting well entrenched bureaucracies, it's something to admire. granted, i wasn't there, but i've read a dozen or so books on the development of nuclear power (can recommend the wickedly entertaining books by James Mahaffey, all of them), plus a bunch of books on Rickover himself, most of them saying the same thing: he provided the push the US Navy needed, perservered, and also, super importantly, ensured those nuclears had sensible, safe designs. he wasn't alone in this pursuit, but there wasn't a strong push from the above. there was an opportunity to do it, and without someone like Rikover, it would have been done later, for more money, and - who knows - maybe the USSR would have gained the upper hand. now, thats the longest youtube comment i've ever written. hope it encourages people to read up the very well written Mahaffey books.
Well the Navy originally wanted him to build a nuclear powered destroyer and Rickover, thinking that was a stupid waste of time, decided to shift the program to subs and lobbied to do so. s@DonWan47
