wT IOS
The New Pork Times
TIMES SQUARE, NEW YORK 3, X. Y.
Dr. James R, Killian, Jr.
Special Assistant to the President
for Science and Technology
White House
Washington 25, D.C,
Dear Dr. Killian,
As you may know, the New York Times learne< | of
the plans for Argus more than six months ago -- wejl in
advance of its fulfillment. The infcrmation was not
obtained on an off-the-record basis. Nevertheless we were
concerned at the implications of making the project public
in advance,
I consulted with Richard Porter, chairman of the
IGY Panel on Rockets and Satellites, and as a result we
were urgently requested by ARPA not to make any prjor
disclosure of the project. We were given repeated assurances
that we would be given sufficient prior notice of
y
announcement so that we should be the first to publish it.
To avoid inadvertent disclosure, knowledge of the
project has been limited, on the Times, to Hanson Baldwin
and myself.
We have
consulted on the situation,
from t ime to
time, with officials in the Pentagon and elsewhere and
understand that a policy decision was made some mohths ago
not to make any disclosure about Argus. Meanwhile, however,
there have been a number of developments:
1. Publication by Gristofiles of a report
Christofilos Effect in terms of the injection of
relativistic electrons into the region of closed
of the earth's magnetic field, using a satellite
electron accelerator. Methods for computing long
migration time were given (University of Calif.
on the
lines
-borne
[tudinal
Radiation
Labcratory, Livermore, Calif. UCRL=5)07, Nov. 26 , 1958)
K-
an
Co
F?
CS
2. Publication of various reports on the Ristant
effects of se high thermonuclear explosion over J pbhnston
Island on Aug. 1 and again on Aug. 12, 1958, ine Luding
propegation of aurora 2,100 miles along the geom neEnetic
meridian, similar propagation of magretic distur bance and
a blackout of radio communications throughout th P Pacific