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22  CURRENT BIOGRAPHY

[[Image: b/w photo of Rear Adm. Arleigh A. Burke, seated in uniform, holding pipe.]] [[Photo credit]] U.S. Navy [[/Photo credit]]
[[caption]] REAR ADM. ARLEIGH A. BURKE [[/caption]]

bastion at Bougainville at thirty-one knots and shot up Jap airfields one after the other while Marines stormed ashore at Empress Augusta Bay." When a Japanese task force came, Burke led the Little Beavers task force in sinking a cruiser and four destroyers. Navy men commented that they had never seen anything like the "fury and deadly precision of the Little Beavers' attack."

When ordered to stop the Japanese from evacuating Buka Island on November 24, 1943, Captain Burke headed his ships up "The Slot" and sent a message to some American transports in his path—"Stand aside. I'm coming through at thirty-one knots." He did, and reached Buka in time to sink three Japanese transports (New York Herald Tribune, May 26, 1955). He became know as "King of the Cans," and the nickname "thirty-one knot Burke" was added after this feat. The Little Beavers were also credited with the destruction of a number of other ships and about thirty enemy aircraft.

Under Admiral Marc A. Mitscher, with the temporary rank of commodore, Burke was aboard the flagship Bunker Hill when she was severely damaged by an attack of two suicide dive bombers off Okinawa in May 1945, and he succeeded in evacuating all hands. The second flagship was hit by a suicide plane on May 14th, and he again arranged for transfer to a new ship. He was detached from staff duty in July 1945, and became head of the research and development division in the Bureau of Ordnance at Washington, until recalled to staff duty with the Atlantic Fleet in January 1946. Two years later, he became an assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations in the organizational research and policy division.

As head of the "Operation 23" research team, which supplied material ostensibly to facilitate the Navy's cooperation with the Army and the Air Force to comply with the terms of unification in the National Security Act, it was Captain Burke's job to brief the officers who testified before the House Armed Services Committee in 1949. The inquiry arose over the Navy's dispute with the Air Force on the merits of the B-36 intercontinental bomber, and it brought Burke into disfavor with some of the civilians in the Truman Administration. Harlan Trott (Christian Science Monitor January 4, 1950) reported that Burke had not "relished" the assignment, although he believed in the Navy's case for a "strong independent naval air arm based on big, fast, far-reaching aircraft carriers."

When the Navy Selection Board met on November 12, 1949, Captain Burke's name was put on a list with twenty-two other captains for promotion to rear admiral. There were reports that Burke's name had been stricken from the list because of his activities in support of the Navy's "revolt" (New York Times, December 30, 1949). The board reconvened and on December 5th, a revised list was flown to the President at Key West, Florida. All navy officers who presented their views in the controversy were promised that "no reprisals" would be made, so when the list was not returned immediately, members of Congress said that a committee would "look into the matter" if Burke's name was eliminated (Washington Post, December 13, 1949).

The list, which contained, twenty-three names and included Captain Burke, was approved. Jim G. Lucas (New York World-Telegram and Sun, January 9, 1950) called it a "victory for Admiral Sherman" who "went to bat for a fellow officer." (Admiral Forrest P. Sherman had replaced Admiral Louis Denfeld as Chief of Naval Operations two months earlier.)

Captain Burke was given a "top level" assignment on January 18, 1950 as Navy secretary to the research and development board. His promotion to rear admiral was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on July 10, 1950 and in September, he became deputy chief of staff to the commander of U.S. Naval Forces in the Far East. After the successful Inchon amphibious landings, Admiral Burke expressed the opinion that the failure of the North Koreans to put up much resistance meant that they had over-extended themselves (New York Times, September 16, 1950).

While the Admiral was a member of the Military Armistice Commission - May to September 1951 - Bert Andrews (New York Herald Tribune, August 19, 1951) observed that he "lightened things up" with his "grin and his blarney," which may have had a part in softening the Communists into reasonableness.

During the next two years, he was director of the strategic plans division of Naval Operations, and in November 1954 was designated Commander of the Destroyer Force of the Atlantic Fleet, at Norfolk, Virginia. His appointment as Chief of Naval Operations was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on June 7, 1955.

In addition to the Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Medal with Gold Star, Legion of Merit with Gold Star, the Silver Star Medal, Purple