higher shot during, or immediately after this series."
His further recommendations
include leaving the responsibility with the Air Force for organizing and conducting
training of the Thor team as well as assembling the appropriate equipment while
everything is in the conus.
Following this the operational control. of the team and
the equipment will past to the Joint Task Force when the system comes to the Pacific.
Also
the Task Force and the Air Force must be given the highest priority immediately
to prepare for the planned firings and Starbird states that he cannot emphasize too
strongly the necessity for immediate action.
Further, DASA must crystallize
immediately the experimental programs to be built around the firings and initiate
these programs.
Starbird says that it is his intent “to assign a special assistant
of
ation
to the Scientific Deputy who will have as his sole responsibility coordin
of the high altitude program."
Finally, as a backup he recommends that a minimum
payload-missile
program with relationship to the Polaris of conducting the necessary
to the
R & D and test of the re-designed nose be carried out to provide a backup
Thor until the Thor has gone through its certification test.
A ZDecember TWX from Betts to Hertford of ALO addresses Reeves request
for urgently needed authorization to increase manpower and activities.
Betts states that he realizes the urgency and the necessity, however, DMA
cannot at this time authorize any further actions which might increase
manpower ceilings or dollar committments but they expect relief from this
situation probably within a week.
A memorandum for Gen. Betts from Cel. Banks with DMA on 7 December covers
a JTF8 meeting of 6 December with Gen. Starbird. Adm. Mustum, Gen. Samuel,
Mr. Howell of H&N, Shuster of Sandia, LRL, Herman Herlin of LASL, Mr. Miller
of ALO and others in attendance.
Gen. Starbird made some specific remarks
on the status of the planning for the atmospheric program and gave a rundown
as follows: Program will consist of 20 to 25 diagnostic tests and because
of the inability to use Eniwetok and the question on Christmas Island many
of the test would be air drops in the open ocean south of Hawaii or
adjacent to Johnston Island with some of the shots to be on ships. The
best possible diagnostics are sought using Air Force capability and
diagnostic trailers designed so that they can be used on either ship or
land Starbird stated. The first shot would be planned for April 1 with
the whole program concluded as soon as possible but by 15 June as planned.
A skeletal organizational chart was presented by a Mr. Parsons of JTF8
showing the commander and the deputies and the line of command then through
a chief of staff to four subgroups one of which would have the scientific
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