Several letters specifically on the testing program were written in the
next few months by the Director or Gerry Johnson.
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The first of these on 16 April
——-~- Sey
59 from Teller to Starbird followed a message from Starbird on 13 April that
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gave some guidance on the funding and preparedness limitations due to plans for
no tests in FY 60 but limited readiness capability.
Teller sets forth a test
program that Livermore would like to see pursued if testing could be resumed
in the summer or fall of 59 and would take testing up thru Sept. 1960.
In
tabular form is presented those weapons developments shots as well as some
Plowshare and detection shots which Livermore would wish to do with the site
and device ready dates ranging from the lst of June and fall for the devices thru
1960 and into 1961 in some cases.
specifically shown.
Over a dozen weapon development tests are
After discussing at length the known geology of the NTS and
the containment rules felt to be conservative (550 W to the 1/3rd or over—burden
in tuff and 600 W to the 1/3rd or 0. point separation in neighboring tunnels),
several tables of specific devices with the proposed tunnel site and the schedules
for necessary construction to meet certain readiness dates accompany a detailed
drawing of the configuration of the tunnels in Nevada to meet this list of some
dozen and a half safety and full-scale weapons test.
Noting that some immediate
authorization for construction at the NTS would be needed to meet these schedules,
Teller concludes, “As mentioned in the first paragraph, our suggested program
is predicated on a change in these assumptions (limited funding and preparedness),
and we would propose acting on it only in case the probabilities have altered
so that those assumptions can be changed.
can be hidden.
It is an accepted fact that underground
Considering that the U.S. has now made a proposal at Geneva which
would allow underground tests for the time being, it seems appropriate to LRL to
demonstrate that we are serious about underground testing by undertaking such a
tunnel program now."