Meeting #1357, 16 April58: aie: a oe Discussion of upcoming NTS testing by Starbird addressed the remainder of 58 and early 59 prior to operztion Trumpet, planned for spring of 59. pap "In response toa question by Libby, Starbird said the 40 kiloton shot i io planned for NTS would be ready by January or February 1959 and could | be ready in November 58, if it is assigned a high priority. Mr. Libby commented on the need for accelerating the underground test program and observed that future disarmament negotiations may result in the US abandoning testing in the Pacific completely with the exception of 100 kiloton device tests for weapons effects, General Starbird said he agreed that the underground test program was urgent but that AEC should not give the impression that it is expediting the underground program in anticipation of any disarmament agreement, He said itis important for government officials outside AEC to realize that an underground test program cannot accomplish the same results as testing above ground + eeeee Libby said he beliewed that the letter to the President concerning the underground test program did not adequately state the urgency of the present situation, He said he believed AEC's position on the importance of-underground tests had never been properly presented to the President and that it should be pointed out to him that underground testing at Nevada may be the only way the US will be able to carry on weapons tests in the future. '' The commissions actions included appoving the 20 to 40 kt. undergraund tests for early 59 and that the number of l-point safcty tests for the NTS in the fall of 1958 had been cut from 10 to about 7. 68 -