Editing Curtis LeMay (section)

==Cultural legacy==
According to [[Michael S. Sherry]], "Few American military officers of this century have been more feared, reviled, and ridiculed than Curtis E. LeMay."<ref>Michael S. Sherry, "Review," ''Journal of American History'' (March, 1987) 73#4 p. 1071.</ref> According to [[Fred Kaplan (journalist)|Fred Kaplan]]:<blockquote>''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'', Stanley Kubrick's 1964 film about nuclear-war plans run amok, is widely heralded as one of the greatest satires in American political or movie history. ... It was no secret—it would have been obvious to many viewers in 1964—that General Ripper looked a lot like Curtis LeMay, the cigar-chomping, gruff-talking general."<ref> Fred Kaplan, "Truth Stranger Than 'Strangelove' " [https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/10/movies/truth-stranger-than-strangelove.html ''The New York Times'' Oct. 10, 2004].</ref></blockquote> 

[[University of Notre Dame]] Professor Dan Lindley points out parallels between LeMay and the characters of Buck Turgidson and Jack Ripper in Stanley Kubrick's ''Dr. Strangelove'', including close paraphrasing of statements by LeMay.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www3.nd.edu/~dlindley/handouts/strangelovenotes.html|title=A Teaching Guide to Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove |author=Dan Lindley |date=September 8, 2009 |publisher=www3.nd.edu|access-date=December 2, 2018 |quote=Ripper: 'He said war was too important to be left to the Generals. When he said that, fifty years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought'. Air Force Lieutenant General David Burchinal (U.S.A.F. Chief of Staff LeMay's deputy for operations), speaks about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the value of strategic superiority: 'They did not understand what had been created and handed to them'. To which LeMay confirmed: 'That was the mood prevalent with the top civilian leadership you are quite correct'.}}</ref>

[[John Milius]] wrote a script about Le May's life for [[Robert Zemeckis]] but as at 2025 it has not been filmed.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.filmink.com.au/great-unfilmed-screenplays-m-a-d-the-life-and-times-of-curtis-lemay-by-john-milius/|first=Stephen|last=Vagg|title=Great Unfilmed Screenplays: M.A.D. The Life and Times of Curtis LeMay by John Milius|date=15 May 2025|access-date=15 May 2025|magazine=Filmink}}</ref>