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In Bangkok, a state dinner had been held for Burke. Dressing for the dinner, Burke turned to the young officers who had accompanied him. "All right, men," he said. "We are about to meet the head of state of a foreign power, a man that might challenge you on any subject. Put yourself in my place. You are a senior representative of the U.S. Government. What would you do?" The officers looked blank. Snapped Burke: "Think. Just think. And don't stop thinking." The U.S. Navy still has a long way to go in its revolution, but under Arleigh Burke's driving insistent leadership, it is thinking as never before. For years Navy theory dragged in the wake of advancing technology. Now, at last, ideas far outstream hard-ware-in-hand, and the Navy knows where it is heading.
*An exception to the rule that all U.S. cruisers are named after American cities, because the gallant Australian cruiser Canberra met its end along with three U.S. cruisers in the Battle of Savo Island on Aug. 9, 1942.
*The old family name was Bjorkegren, the first syllable of which is pronounced Burke. Its Swedish meaning is "limb of a birch tree," and it traces to Burke's great-grandfather, who worked for the Swedish Ministry of Forestry.