 He served as commander of the Strategic Air Command (SAC) from 1948 to 1957, where he presided over the transition to an all-jet aircraft force that focused on the deployment of nuclear weapons.As Chief of Staff of the Air Force, he called for the bombing of Cuban missile sites during the Cuban Missile Crisis and sought a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam during the Vietnam War.After retiring from the Air Force in 1965, LeMay agreed to serve as pro-segregation Democratic Governor George Wallace's running mate in the 1968 United States presidential election.