My solution to the problem would be to tell [the North Vietnamese Communists] frankly that they've got to draw in their horns and stop their aggression or we're going to bomb them into the Stone Age. And we would shove them back into the Stone Age with Air power or Naval power - not with ground forces.
Curtis LeMayDon't like to do anything half-heartedly, even if it is a wicked and self-destructive avocation like smoking cigars
Curtis LeMayI don't want to hear of any of you men getting into any fights with the British. But if you do, you'd better not get whipped.
Curtis LeMayToday, shooting wars are won or lost before they start. If they are fought at all, they would be fought principally to confirm which side had won at the outset.
Curtis LeMayIf we maintain our faith in God, love of freedom, and superior global air power, the future looks good.
Curtis LeMayYou [President Kennedy] have made some pretty strong statements about their being defensive and that we would take action against offensive weapons. I think that a blockade and political talk would be considered by a lot of our friends and neutrals as being a pretty weak response to this [the Cuban missile crisis]. And I'm sure a lot of our own citizens would feel that way too. In other words, you're in a pretty bad fix at the present time.
Curtis LeMay