AOA Otrds STANDARD FORM NO. 64 ERNMENT Office Memorandum * UNITED STATES GOV TO :; Biles / DATE: January 5, 1953 FROM + Howard Brown oD | SUBJECT: POLICY WITH RESPECT TO PROVIDING WEAPONS EFFECTS DATA TO FCDA The FCDA, in a letter of December 18, 1952, "fuller access within the AEC to information planning.'' The letter is not specific as to desired. By implication it would appear that handicapped due to lack of vital information supplied. has indicated a need for necessary to civil defense the type of information FCDA planning has been which AEC could have Before replying to FCDA's letter the AEC should very carefully examine its position on the matter. In the first place, we do not admit that the FCDA has not been given all information which they need and which the AEC. could supply within the categories of data previously agreed upon. in the second place, there is an obvious practical and legal limit to the stage to which any outside agency can be taken into the confidence of the AEC on weapons developments. On the other hand, I question whether the AEC could take the position that no information with respect to potential weapons effects would be made available except as the result of actual tests. In other words, I do not believe it would be a very tenable or defensible policy to state that we will provide no weapons effects information prior to a test detonation, and together with the Military we will screen for trans~ mittal all effects data occuring after tests. It seems to me that it is witain the realm of theoretical possibility that there now exists or may exist a situation in which information in our possession with respect to potential weapons effects would greatly benefit the civil defense program of the nation even though the effects are estimated and are not the result of actual test detonations, Accordingly, I would think that we ought to have a clearly defined and generally understood policy within the AEC with respect to how much and how soon weapons effects data should be provided FCDA. It seems to me that serious consideration should be given to a policy which would make available to the FCDA weapons effects data within the agreed upon categories when it appears that such data would significantly affect or modify civil defense planning. Data would not be limited to that resulting from test detonations but would include effectscapableofestimationwith—measenable accuracy provided: US DOE ARCHIVES 326 U.S. ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION RG DOE HISTORIAN Collection Box _3362 Folder _##/ _//32 (eM) | | | Dos ARG@HIVES