planning staff will provide a maximm of economy during the testing
moratorium and a suitable and feasible means of providing an operational
test orzanization to conduct overseas high altitude tests “when ready”
if national policy should be amended to permit testing.
The indefinite testing moratorium and the limited methods of
testing which are most likely, in the event the moratorium is discontinued,
make prudent a reorganization and consolidation of our present overseas
testing capability.
National interests dictate the establishment of
the smallest feasible interim atomic test organization.
This organi-
zation must be capable of formulating and maintaining plans and of
rapid expansion to operational status, as may be appropriate, by
augmentation of specialized TDY forces of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The objective should be to provide the maximum interim economy of men,
money and material, suitaole planing continuity and an early operational
capability at times and places that may be directed in consonance with
the national policy.
There are actually two aspects to a "test when ready" concept:
(1)
As opposed to the traditional past method of operation
whereby a test series operation has been seheduled alternately at NTS
and EPG for execution at a specific time and date, a test when ready
concept would provide not having any specified date of execution, nor
necessarily any "series operation" as in the past.
This concept would
provide for nuclear testing at any time, place, and in varying scope or
size from a single shot by either AEC or DOD for a special purpose to
& series of shots on a joint experiment or operation.
To re-phrase