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HEADQUARTERS TASK GROUP 7.1
MEMO TO: Distribution
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December 27, 1956
Gaelen L. Felt
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UCRL is hopeful of establishing a firing capability at Taongi Atoll
for HARDTACK, the next overseas test series, now thought of for the late
Spring and early summer of 1958
Though at present it appears that neither’
LASL nor AFSWP has any immediate interest in such a facility, it would
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_ SUBJECT: _TAONGI CONCEPTS
Refs:
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FROM:
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JOINT TASK FORCE SEVEN
CRM FILE BC i
nonetheless become a part of the Eniwetok Proving Ground ani should there- |. : sf
fore be considered in the over-all Task Group and Task Force plans.
,
The arguments behind the UCRL interest, as I understand them, area
conviction that we should have a minimum of two firing sites for large
devices and a hunch that Bikini is no longer possible for one of the
sites.
I share the conviction about two sites, but am not yet willing
to share the hunch about Bikini.
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With regard to Bikini, UCRL believes
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the AEC will either take action itself to curtail its use or be obliged
to as a result of outside pressure.
By HARDTACK time it is expected that the natives will be repatriated
on the atolls east of Bikini. This could lead to UN pressure on the US to
curtail or discontinue testing at Bikini in order to guarantee no repeat
of the CASTLE episode.
In view of these considerations, I have agreed with Jerry Johnson
that members of the Task Group staff would undertake a study of the
implications of developing a facility at Taongi.e It is desirable that
we study three separate situations:
1)
that Taongi is included in the EPG merely as a third site,
2)
that Taongi is included as a third site while the Bikini site
is restricted as NTS is for PILGRIM, and
3)
that Taongi is added to EPG while Bikini is completely inactive.
The concepts should be prepared in the light of what is known about
the HARDTACK program. Generally speaking, I expect HARDTACK to be similar
in scope
to REDWING.
From discussions with Johnson (UCRL), Frank Shelton
(AFSWP), and several people at LASL, I expect the program will consist of
the following shots:
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