Running Critical: The Silent War, Rickover, and General Dynamics

By Patrick Tyler

Book Overview

'A portrait of the miltary-industrial complex in action. The author takes us behind closed doors to reveal the day-today deal making, corner cutting.' (Bob Woodward This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060153776
• ISBN13: 9780060153779
• Release Date: January 1986
• Publisher: Harper & Row
• Length: 374 Pages
• Weight: 1.61 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Competence?, Transparency?, Integrity?

A great book. Should be read by all military officers. Should be read by all rooticians. It gives a picture of strong personalities and weak consciences. It paints a picture of a DOD and a DON that don't know how to monitor their contractors. It fails to point out many of the most important lessons to be learned, e.g., big problems are not born big, they are born small and are nursed by incompetence, lack of transparency and lack of integrity. The administrations of several presidents presided over this shameful mess. What is the extent of the problem?

Excellent

One of the best books on the 688 program and how it influenced the 726-class. The best part is the back of the book with transcripts of telephone conversations between Takis Veliotis (GM for GD/EB) and Rickover. Also a good summary of the engineering and operations analysis that led to the 688 design. Portions on the "holy grail" of speed, depth and stealth are great, particularly on how/why the hull wound up getting shaved to meet speed, but sacrificing depth. Overall, a great book, as good or better than Dalguish and Schwickert's (sp?) book, Trident.

A definitive look at the history of the 688 program/origins

Probrably the definitve book on the origin of the 688 submarine program and the corruption involved in the overspending by General Dynamics(Electric Boat). Some really good insights on Adm. Rickover not seen in other books. Very technically accurate. I believe at the time this book was written the government tried to ban the book. The first third of the book about the advent of Soviet fast subs and and the history of modern submarine design is a must read for anyone interested in submarine history. Cronicles some of the classic story's such as the USS Philidelphia being launched for the Congressmen and then pulled back into shipyard for another year to finish since it was so far behind schedule.

Required reading: Poli-Sci/Military history students and/or

Author P. Tyler is very fair to all parties concerned. Excellent historical content, and thoroughness of research is evident in context. Historical accuracy is also excellent (I checked). Should be required reading for Political Science students and/or Military History buffs. This is one of the handfull of books that I've immediatly re-read after I finished it just to make sure I interpretted everything correctly. Content is very educational about mid to late US "cold war" policies. 5 stars.

Example of the Militart Industrial Complex

Excellent narrative illustrating the complex nature of the Cold War era military industrial complex. Fascinating struggle between two strong leaders: Adm Hyman Rickover and Takis Veliotis of General Dynamics. Watch the action and the gamesmanship with billions of dollars at stake and watch how each combatant exposes the others weaknesses and see how the interests of the US people get lost in the battle.