Building a Strategic Air Force

On March 21, 1946, by order of Headquarters, Army Air Forces, Continental Air Forces received a new name, becoming the Strategic Air Command. This administrative procedure was intended to give some suggestion as to what the mission of that command was to be under the new structure of the air arm. One effect the order has was upon the American language. Very soon after that order was issued, "SAC" -- pronounced as a word of one syllable -- would be commonplace usage of everyone in or involved with the command. This volume recounts how the Army Air Forces and its successor organization, the U.S. Air Force, organized, trained and equipped strategic air forces for a worldwide mission during the years of administration of President Harry S. Truman.

The period of history covered in this volume has been heavily studied. It is the opening era of the "Cold War" between the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the western countries led by the United States. There has been work on the diplomacy of the Cold War, the limited conflicts that arose from it, about the development of the United States and Europe, as well as the regions then largely under colonial rule. Students have examined issues of national strategy and defense organization. There have been efforts to study developments within the Soviet bloc itself. In spite of profound disagreements and attempts to fix blame, a certain amount of common understanding of events has emerged. What perhaps has been lacking has been more detailed work to trace the development of military institutions, especially in the United States, to seal with what was in effect a new world situation. A major problem has been the secrecy understandably surrounding much of the information. Over the years, much material has been made available to researchers, and a certain amount has been written. This volume undertakes to give the experience of a particular service in these terms.