19 comments

  • Animats 2 days ago

    "Some thoughts on the presidency" [1]

    (The site's index dates this to 1952, but it mentions "the events of 1974.")

    [1] https://rickover-corpus.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/Some+Thou...

    • emmelaich 2 days ago

      Yes, it mentions the energy crisis so dates it to late 70s at least. Also President Reagan, so after 1981. Probably well after.

    • andrewl 2 days ago

      I'm two pages in, and it is excellent.

      • ndileas 2 days ago

        There's a lot of timeless, good analysis. But there's also somewhat dated concerns (like the energy crisis stuff) where it's clear that he's responding to the issue du jour.

      • emmelaich 2 days ago

        Quotables in in every paragraph!

    • uncletaco 2 days ago

      The Nixon memo is dated for 1980 from after Nixon was president.

  • thomassmith65 2 days ago

      Unless the one person truly responsible can be identified when something goes wrong, then no one has been really responsible
    
    Ah, it's Apple's DRI (Directly Responsible Individual) designation!
    • stmw 2 days ago

      It is always interesting how such principles are much older than our current examples!

  • kentbrew 4 hours ago

    This sounds like the title of a Charlie Stross novel.

  • andrewl 2 days ago

    I've read a few articles about him, but I never heard him speak. I just pulled this up, and I find it fascinating:

    https://taproot.com/rickover-60-minutes-interview/

    • xtiansimon 2 days ago

      I’ve known some lovable @$$#ol3$ who have the rare amalgamation of talent, self-possession, misanthropy. Their successes seem unrelated to their persons. Purely anecdotal, but don’t they all have difficult parents…

  • RobGR a day ago
  • acidburnNSA 2 days ago

    Truly amazing resource. Thanks to the folks funding this, and doing the scans.

    • ripe 2 days ago

      From the website:

      This project was compiled and digitized by Charles Yang under the Center for Industrial Strategy, with assistance from Jacks Flenniken.

      • stmw a day ago

        Some credit also given to the US Naval Academy archivists (usna.edu), and whoever preserved his files to begin with.

  • kreelman 2 days ago

    Ah, the "Kindly Old Gentleman"...

    Though a very difficult man to get on with... He did champion the correct building of the first nuclear subs.

    • CamperBob2 2 days ago

      Yep, a complex, flawed character.

      Unquestionably the right person for that particular job, though. He was Mr. "Failure is Not an Option" years before Gene Kranz.

  • brcmthrowaway 2 days ago

    Never heard of this guy - Nimitz seems better

    • chrisg23 2 days ago

      Different domains. Admiral Rickover focused on the nuclear propulsion aspect of the navy. Its like comparing the CEO of a company with one of the heads of engineering.