AFSWC History Office

"Moratorium, May 1958-10 October 1961" Folder
A19

May 1958 letter from Col.

Wignall (Deputy Commander of Task Group

7.4) to Maj. Ashcraft (Rear Echelon of Task Group 7.4 at Kirtland) is on Co
the subject of a letter on the testing moratorium,

dated 8 May.

Clearly at

this time a possible moratorium at the completion of the Pacific Test Series
was considered a very real possibility and the 4950th had been thinking
_ of their possible role and the problemswith maintaining their personnel
and resources during such a moratorium.

Pertinent sentences include:

"In carrying out this reduction we should be extremely careful to retain
in the 4950th or elsewhere in the center, personnel who are experienced in
every facet of the test operations.

... I believe we could keep a reduced

staff quite busy for at least 6 months should a moratorium be announced
after this test; such a staff would monitor the IRAN (of B-57 aircraft) and

rehabilitation programs mentioned above and would prepare detailed plans
‘necessary for resumption of testing and an alternate plan shoulda permanent.
suspension of testing occur.

It would seem to me that it would also be wise to

prepare a detailed record of the procedures that were developed through the
years in the testing business.

What Ihave in mind here is to compile a

file which would supplement the final report and contain all the charts, SOP's .
and all other data that might be helpful to a future test commander." As for
the other organizations close to the 4950th, it is noted that the 4926th will
probably be kept busy inAir Force technical activities from time to time as
they have been in the past for the High Altitude Sampling Support within the

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