President John F. Kennedy Wishes Admiral Hyman Rickover, Father of the Nuclear Powered Navy, a “Speedy Recovery” After His Heart Attack

World War II was barely over when Rickover, in 1946, recognized nuclear power "as an opportunity for the Navy".  The next year he received training in nuclear power at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and there began exploring the possibility of nuclear ship propulsion. In February 1949 he was assigned to the Division of Reactor Development within the Atomic Energy Commission and then assumed control of the Navy's effort as Director of the Naval Reactors Branch. Using this twin role as a platform, with unrelenting determination, Rickover advocated, in fact championed, nuclear power in his effort to modernize the U.S. Navy, expand its reach and efficiency, and increase its firepower in a world in the midst of the Cold War. His strategy was to keep the Executive Branch and Congress fully informed and thoroughly engaged, and as a result of his success in doing so, his program was approved. He then supervised the construction of the world's first nuclear powered submarine, USS Nautilus (which joined the fleet in January 1955), and over the next decades spearheaded the building of the U.S. Navy's nuclear fleet and oversaw its operations. This involved not merely outfitting submarines, but aircraft carriers and other ships as well, and increasing the firepower of the fleet with Polaris missiles. Using his submarines and missiles, American might could now be delivered to any point in the world; and American submarines could cruise, silently and never surfacing, beneath the waves shadowing Soviet naval movements, collecting Soviet missile telemetry and eavesdropping on Soviet communications. This had not merely military implications, but diplomatic ones as well; as although no point on earth was safe from destruction, the ultimate goal was deterrence rather than war.

Rickover advised all presidents from Truman through Reagan, and had close relationships with a number of them. President Kennedy consulted Rickover on many matters, including the question of the multilateral nuclear force that would place international crews on American submarines. He extended Rickover's period of service past the standard retirement age. President Nixon promoted Rickover to four-star admiral. Rickover gave Jimmy Carter, when the latter was a young naval officer, his first important job; Carter later stated that Rickover had a "profound effect on my life, perhaps more than anyone else except my own parents." Rickover was awarded numerous medals and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, and the Congressional Gold Medal for exceptional public service. In 1980 President Carter gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest non-military honor, for his contributions to world peace. In addition to presidents, Rickover had close relationships with many in Congress, and was frequently on Capitol Hill.

Rickover had a well-deserved reputation for doing whatever was necessary to see his projects to completion. He was famous for ignoring traditional naval customs and for bypassing existing organizational hierarchies. He demanded the very highest standards and pushed defense contractors, his staff and himself to the limit. According to the U.S. Navy website, Admiral Rickover "exerted tremendous personal influence over the nuclear Navy in both an engineering and cultural sense. His views touched matters of design, propulsion, education, personnel, and professional standards. In every sense, he played the role of father to the nuclear fleet, its officers, and its men." After 64 years of service, Rickover retired from the Navy as a full admiral in 1982. He was the oldest full-time employee of the federal government and arguably the longest-serving military man in the nation’s history.

Hyman Rickover was a Polish Jew who immigrated to the United States as a boy with his parents, yet he managed to climb over all of the obstacles and prejudices he had to face on those accounts. In addition to his other accomplishments, it can surely be said that he was the most important Jew ever to serve in the United States military.

In the early morning on July 31, 1961, Rickover had a heart attack and was promptly admitted to the Bethesda Naval Hospital. The President was informed, and he wasted no time in sending the Admiral his hopes for a recovery.

Typed letter signed, on White House letterhead, Washington,  July 31, 1961, to Rickover at . “I have just learned that it will be necessary for you to be hospitalized for a few days. I am sending you my very best wishes and hope you will have a speedy recovery.” Rickover recovered and lived until 1986.

We obtained this letter directly from the Rickover family, and it is offered for sale here for the first time.