Curtis Emerson LeMay was American 4-star General, father of the Strategic Air Command, who built it into a global strike force. He was hawkish anti-communist and an outspoken advocate of manned air power based on a willingness to use nuclear weapons.
He was Commander of Strategic Air Command (1948—1957), Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1957 - 1961), Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force (1961–1965).
LeMay is known for designing and implementing the systematic strategic bombing campaign in the Pacific Theater during World War II. LeMay was stationed in the European theatre early in the war, where he became famous for his intense, relentless leadership style. LeMay personally led many of the missions he directed, and demanded similar devotion from his pilots, who he threatened to court-martial if they aborted. These missions included risky attacks on Axis air bases in Germany and North Africa.
After commanding B-29s in India and China (1944), LeMay took over the 21st Bomber Command in the Mariana Islands (January 1945); in that post he planned and originated the low-altitude incendiary-bombing tactics that burned out parts of Tokyo and a number of other Japanese cities in an effort to force a surrender before the Allied invasion of Japan, which was planned for the end of that year.
After the war LeMay commanded the U.S. air forces in Europe, and in that capacity he directed the Berlin airlift in 1948.
General LeMay, who directed the air assault over Japan in the final days of World War II and relayed the Presidential order to drop nuclear bombs, years later wrote that a solution to the Vietnam War might be to bomb North Vietnam "back into the Stone Ages."
In 1968 he was the vice presidential candidate on the third-party (American Independent) ticket headed by George C. Wallace.