ogo1
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weapons test readiness at NTS as follows.
BK.
"The Seismic Improvement Program
“should be carried out at NTS with the least possible
present state of weapons readiness.
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jnterference with our
everclOne)
The proposed] program,
including the
50 KT in Eo7 and the [.2 KT in Eo3, wipes out three of the four sites of
the readiness program.
tn addition the HE shot will very probably make
the B tunnel unavailable for a period of six months to a year.
The result
of the seismic program, if carried out, would then be that we would be
unable to meet the readiness schedule previously given in TWX #866, February
9,
1960, Starboard to Teller, et al.
In case the international situation
were to lead at some future time to a decision to resume underground testing,
there would then be a delay in three to six months beyond the 40 to 50 day
readiness which we had previously planned.
We consider this very undesirable.
If the high explosive shot is so important that it must be fired at the first
available site to reduce its lead time from 8 months to,6 months, B tunnel
can be used.
In any case, two possible sites in the — tunnel for the 50 KT
and the |.2 KT shots should be obtained by additional tunneling funded from
the seismic improvement program, as would be the case for experiments at
locations other than NTS.
We would like to point out that delaying the 5 KT
high explosive shot by two months in order to build a new tunnel! access for
It will not delay carrying out the 5 KT nuclear shot in the B tunnel.
We
will in the near future make up a proposal for additional work to put NTS into
the same state of readiness capability which we have previously proposed;
the details of such a proposal will obviously have to await firm and final
arrangements for the seismic program."
Brown further states that he assumes
that, because of the devices selected, LASL will be asked to provide the
complete device systems including capsule design and black boxes.
‘