o

ze

On 15 November Chairman Seaborg sent to the AEC General Manager a copy of
the "Presidential Instructions to the NSC Committee on Atmospheric Testing
Policy'' which gives the guidance for this committee to consider the proposed
programs submitted by the Atomic Energy Commission.
In part the Presidential
instructions contain the following guidelines: "tests will be conducted in
“™
the atmosphere only if:
(a) the test will provide information of substantial
importance to the national defense.
(b) The information needed can be obtained
no other way, with reasonable time and effort.
(c) Atmospheric fallout is
minimized in all practicable ways.
(d)} The military need for the tests out
weighs the desirability of avoiding all atmospheric fallout.
Preparations for atmospheric testing will be directed toward:
(a) Test
readiness in 4 months.
(b) Concentration of atmospheric tests in the
shortest possible time period with a target of about 3 months.
The committee will consicer and recommend to the President on the need for

providing the capability

to conduct follow-on tests.

The study requested by the President (NSC record of action 2440-c) of the
availability of sites for atmospheric tests will be directed toward obtaining,
on a priority basis, a suitable island test base.
The committee will submit to the President for decision the carrying out
of each atmospheric test.
(a) For the present, the committee should limit
its recommendations to tests which relate to important questions of weapons
development and weapons effects.
(b) Approval of either proof tests or
systems tests can be expected only if there is convincing demonstration of
unusual need in each case.

A22

Budgetary questions arising out of test preparations will be reviewed by the
committee, in consultation with the Director of the Bureau of the Budget.
The President has decided that :
(a) No FY 63 budget proposals for the
financing of test preparations will be made public.
(b) FY 62 expenditures
will be financed by use of the emergency funds, with a supplemental request
to be made as necessary."
A memo for Chairman Seaborg from General Betts on 16 November while transmitting the list from each laboratory of the proposed devices to be tested
in the atmosphere it mentions for the first time that I have seen General
Starbird as commander of JTF8.
A 16 November TWX from Graves of Los Alamos to Gen. Betts asks that induced
tsunami in Hawaii in the case of an accidental surface burst be added as

a safety consideration in connection with off-Hilo operations.

EE

A 16 November memo for Col. Anderson of DMA from a Col. Banks of the R&D
Le
;
Le
Branch addresses
ord that as of this
rec
s t he fact £ or the
note
on
er
emb
Nov
16
on
ce
den
pon
res
Cor
istm as Island
ted Kingdom for the use of Chr
Uni
the
with
ions
tiat
npgo
date
were already underway.

Select target paragraph3