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A 20 Decenber Sl letter from 3vaecoury to Bethe answers a letter from Bethe to
Bradbury a few days murtker earlier that had to do with underground testing versus
atmospheric testing and Bethe's strong*feelings about not going back to atmospher
ic
testing.
I believe that I took notes on this elsewhere
but since I can't find them
right now I will make a few comments about this letter from Brecbury.
He feels that
Bethe is “oversold on the virtues of tunnels versus holes for underground testing in
which the primary information desired yield, Alpha, end some timing information.”
Bradbury goes on to note that so far, the tunnel shots have all given trouble to a
greater or lesser degree with their lack of confinement, whereas the vertical holes
have given no such trouble and this is significant especially from ‘thepersonnel
exposure point of view.
"By this technique LASL has been able to fire about twice
as many shots as Livermore during the same time period , and all our shots have (or
will have) eventual diagnostics.
we wiiagree that for some types of heavily
diegnosed, heavily collimated experiments, tunnels ere probably preferablewooles"
Bradbury goes on to note that Bethe's point probably is not most emphatically
‘tunnels
thankies are better than holes but that LASL should believe “more ferventiy ia the
virtues of underground testing."
He then makes his argugments that he feels tat
whoever tests in the atmosphere will certainly make progress over sTeever Uaate
underground and feels thet, while we should keep at undezground teat=ng waile ft ta
.
:
‘
see
all we can do, we had better get ready to do things in the ataoate
international situation:
We the
“the great international p alitical vise soeCod,
. 5: Faget
zy
present U.S. course of action have been and are unclesr to
—any
come to the conclusion that small seem to act (like
.
and pure self interest.
win a war with the U.S.
winner!
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owe
are
No one is afraid of the U.5-"¥®
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Tear
oney sant C0 OR, tay an}
And if you are little, \"'"
In any event, in contrast to the usual * \e
politically, I find myself wondering if we might "
More respect.
48 fer tn,
e
We would at least show that we c™!
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ath;
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arene