split.
The overall 03 aumbers are 1390 personnel and 47.5 million dollars.
It is
notcd that even if testing stops suddenly, very little change overall in 03 will be
| ]
seen since that effort is actually being diverted from other programs within 03.
A_SDecember letter from Seaborg as Chairman of the NSC Committee on atmospheric
testing policy to the President addresses some additional questions from the
President following the submission of the total report of this committee.
It would be very helpful to have copies of or access to the letters from
the executive to the AEC and probably also to the DoD. This letter deals with
several items. First of all Christmas Island where Seaborg states that
technical discussions with the British on the nature of the program are
scheduled in Washington on December 8th and 9th and at this time also the
Secretary of State will be briefed on the status of Christmas Island. As to
the specific dates for the beginning of this series it is to be set at 1 April
for the time being and the earliest possible date that it is felt the very
important high altitude effects test can be performed is mid-June, therefore,
setting the end of the test window at around June 15th as the target date
with the understanding that it may well be necessary to extend this date to
about July Ist.
But for purposes of planning the window is now set at 1 April
through 15 June '62.
In accordance with the President's request the
proposed atmospheric tests have been and are being thoroughly reviewed for
deletion, substitution, consolidation, etc. to reduce the number from
to
a lower number. While it is felt that all
of these items are important,
x
Seaborg lists several suggestions for a few items which may be substituted
underground, one particular pair of tests which may be consolidated, and
also several tests which might be done in lieu of each other and which would
allow for a reduction in the total numbers: and in summary he states that there
is attempt being made to reduce the number
by about 5 to 7 tests. The
c
reduction in total yield would be very little, about 2 to 4 hundred kilotons
and this would be largely fission yield. Furthermore, Seaborg notes that a
Study of ways to accelerate and expand the underground test program is currently underway.
Betts sent a TWX to Bradbury and Foster on the 6th of December querying them
as to the possibility of
.
for various reasons.and received a reply immediately from both laboratories
to the effect that it is indeed feasible to do this.
out that it is not.desirable todo’,
,
,
,
LASL, however, points
of H&N documenting a meeting
Here is a 6 Dec. trip report from Frank Drake
Douglas to “discuss the ground
at Vandenberg on 30 Nov. with AEC, Sandia, and
*
2
"0
during the test series at
facilities required for the use of Thor missiles
ction of launch pad No. 6(®% Saye)
Johnston Island. Douglas provided an inspe
ety and moved to Johnston to
which they said would be dismantled in its entir
“expedite the project under consideration.”
A number of engineering details
PI