"West Point Bicentennial"
A Pictorial History of the First Two Hundred Years of the United States Military Academy
Preface | 1776-1817 | 1817-1833 | 1833-1848 | 1848-1865 | 1865-1890 | 1890-1919 | 1919-1939 | 1939-1950 | 1950-1970 | 1970-1980 | 1980-2002 | Bicentennial and Beyond

"Meeting The Challenges of The Cold War"

1950-1970

The reductions in the armed forces immediately after World War II had only a limited effect on West Point. The basic purpose of the Military Academy remained the same -- to develop leaders of character for the nation’s military. The institution, however, underwent numerous changes, and its methods of developing, educating, and training future leaders of America slowly evolved. Over the next few decades changes included modifications in the academic and military programs and an expansion of the racial and ethnic representation in the Corps, reflective of the diversity in American society.

When the Korean War began, the academy continued on a steady course and did not face major disruption from the conflict. The institution continued to provide leadership at all levels. The Military Academy sent more than half of its more than 2,200 graduates from the classes of 1949-1952 into the conflict. One graduate, Richard Shea, Class of 1952, turned down an Olympic Team position in order to serve in Korea. A little over a year after graduating, Shea became a hero at Pork Chop Hill, where he earned the Medal of Honor, posthumously, for his leadership and bravery. Much of the senior leadership, including Douglas MacArthur, Mark Clark, James Van Fleet and Matthew Ridgway, were members of the Long Gray Line. During this conflict, 157 Academy graduates died in battle.

While war ravaged the Korean peninsula, an event of a different nature shocked the Corps of Cadets. At the end of World War II, the Military Academy began placing greater institutional emphasis on the honor system. A few years later, however, in 1951, a devastating honor scandal was revealed. The academy leadership learned that an informal cadet cheating ring, originating in the football team, had been sharing unauthorized information on quizzes and tests. Almost 90 cadets were found to have violated their honor and resigned or were separated from the Corps. Investigations revealed that cadet loyalty to classmates had been stronger than their loyalty to academy rules and traditions in general, and the Honor Code in particular.

Besides the Korean War and the honor scandal, there was another issue that concerned West Point -- meeting enrollment. In 1950, the Military Academy filled 82 percent of its vacancies. By 1954, only 67 percent of the slots for the Corps were filled. The expanding economy and the opening of the Air Force Academy were partly responsible for the recruitment problem. In response, extensive efforts to expand and improve public relations began during the Superintendency of Blackshear Bryan. One such activity was the preparation of several popular novels, written by Colonel Russell "Red" Reeder, Class of 1926, about fictional West Point cadets which first appeared in 1955. Also in 1955, the Hollywood motion picture The Long Gray Line, based upon another book by Colonel Reeder and his sister, was completed, and the CBS dramatic series The West Point Story aired on television.

When Garrison Davidson followed Bryan as superintendent in 1956, he continued efforts to promote the academy and to make West Point competitive with other prestigious academic institutions. Davidson began his reforms by improving the quality of cadets admitted. He revised the admissions process in two ways. First, he changed the criteria for admission from a mere ranking of candidates based on their performance on the Scholastic Aptitude Test to a more diversified "Whole Man" concept. Under the new model, a candidate’s character and leadership potential, as well as their overall academic performance, were reviewed. Soon thereafter, the model included performance on a physical exam and extracurricular participation. These varied aspects of individual performance are quite similar to the diversified array of measures that are used to compare cadet candidates today. Second, he created a separate admissions office and pressed members of Congress to allow the academy to select the best possible candidates based on merit within each district. Although only three congressmen formally agreed to this procedure for the cadets who entered in 1957, the number rose to 128 for those entering in 1960 and today includes nearly all members of Congress.

Davidson also sought reform in the curriculum. Critics of the Military Academy had long charged that the Thayer approach was outdated and that the curriculum was too heavily weighted towards mathematics and science. They argued that cadets needed a broader, more liberal education. The Boards of Visitors frequently supported this contention.

After a massive review of the academic program, the Superintendent found that many of the academic departments opposed that change, hoping to preserve the Thayer system and their status in the curriculum. Davidson agreed that the Thayer method’s emphasis on practical problem solving and assuming personal responsibility for one’s own learning was still valid and that the habits of personal accountability it fosters were crucial to developing military leaders. Proponents of the Thayer method argued that if cadets could not take responsibility for their own learning, they probably would not be responsible enough to lead others. Davidson believed it was the core curriculum that needed modification, not the Thayer method. Ultimately, he persuaded the Academic Board to permit the first deviation from the academy’s historically prescribed curriculum and allow cadets to take up to three electives in their senior year. While this change appeared small, it was the beginning of a major revision in the curriculum. By 1972, the number of electives a cadet could take increased to eight, chosen from among 161 courses. By 1985 a cadet could take twelve electives, eight of which were related to an area of concentration. The other four were dedicated to a general field in either the humanities or engineering. The development of electives provided cadets with the opportunity and challenge of studying an area of interest in depth. The increasing sophistication of the curriculum also affected the organization of the academic departments with, for example, the creation of two new departments in 1969-the Department of History and the Department of Engineering.

Davidson’s revisions to the academic program may have been some of the most significant changes since Sylvanus Thayer served as superintendent. Some other significant changes included mandating that all permanent professors have doctorates, beginning a program of sabbatical leaves, and encouraging all faculty members to contribute to both scholarly and military journals. These measures ensured a faculty that was competent, current and recognized in their fields. Continuing self-assessment and reform at all academic levels has characterized the academy ever since.

During the tour of Davidson’s successor, William Westmoreland, Congress approved an increase in size of the Corps of Cadets from 2,500 to 4,400 over a period of ten years. This placed the size of the Corps of Cadets at West Point and the Air Force Academy on par with the Brigade of Midshipman at the Naval Academy. West Point began an extensive building and modernization program in order to provide adequate facilities for this larger Corps. From 1963 to 1974, five new barracks, additional academic buildings and several other facilities were expanded or upgraded.

The Military Academy became more attentive to emerging technology and opened its first computer center in 1962. In accordance with the tenets of the Thayer method, cadets received a great deal of hands-on training with computers, which gave them a much better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of this new technology. West Point has continued to emphasize the importance of understanding and effectively utilizing advances in technology. In 1986, it was one of the first colleges to require computers for every student. Since then, plebes have received computers prior to the start of each academic year.

The Military Academy continued to train officers for global missions. Upon Superintendent Westmoreland’s arrival, some upper-class cadets participated in Advanced Overseas Training (AOT), acting as "third" lieutenants with troops in the field. Over the years, the program evolved into Cadet Troop Leader Training (CTLT), providing cadets vital hands-on exposure to the responsibilities and challenges they will face when they are commissioned as second lieutenants in the U.S. Army. Advanced patrolling and survival training was expanded into RECONDO training during his Superintendency as well, bringing cadets face to face with some of the more rigorous combat challenges in the field. Counter-insurgency training was integrated into selected lessons to enable the cadets to meet the increasing threat of a type of warfare that would be invaluable preparation for them during the Vietnam Conflict. After his departure, during the Vietnam War, the academy tried to provide a greater understanding of the conflict by bringing back instructors who had participated in the conflict and by devoting more time to low-intensity conflict in military instruction and required military history courses. This proved extremely valuable, since nearly every graduate from the classes of 1965 through 1970 served in Vietnam. Not only did the Army’s senior leadership again include academy graduates Westmoreland and Creighton Abrams, both Class of 1936, but seven graduates were also awarded the Medal of Honor. By the time American forces had withdrawn from Vietnam, 273 graduates had given their lives in the conflict.