UNITED STATES
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
-
May 26, 1953
MEMORANDUM FOR MR, LEWIS L. STRAUSS
Reference is wade to our telephone call this morning as to
the risk we run in the proposed eleventh shot.
While inevery one of our shots there is some element of risk,
the Cormission has evaluated the risk in this shot and is confident
that the device can be Getonated safely.
The Co:ission plans to
apply even imore stringent standards than ordinarily applied to
minimize the possibility of fall out and shock danage.
The shot
is of great importance since the energy release of
the device must be known precisely for the CASTLE series.
It is
estimated that there will be a deiay running possibly to three
months if it is shot in Eniwetok, One of the reasons for this is
that F-84-Gs ere used in cloud sampling which gives us our basis
for radio chemical analysis,
since they cannot be flown.
These must be shipped to Eniwetok
Our group in charge of firing control
and special high speed instrumentation, Edgerton, Germanhausen &
Grier, now busily engazed at Nevada, will have to have adequate
time in which to set up their par@phernalia.
The period of three
months before
the shot could be fired could conceivably be contrécted
if a high priority is assigned by all the organizations that must
collaberate in the Eniwetok operation.
I doubt seriously if this
could be brought to two months, however, by even a high priority
effort.
if tnere should be a three months delay, this in turn may
cause a three months delay in the CASTLE series, particularly if
the desired energy relcase is net secured.
The Cormission believes this shot,
in spite of its high
energy release, has smaller riszs than many of the tower shots that
we have shot heretofore.
Furthermore, being the last of a series
we can be even more careful than usual with the weather conditions.
In terms of actval risk we believe that there is no hazard greater
than surrounds our nornal operations.
The Commission believes that this shot is essential to the
thermonuclear program,
‘
/s/
Gordon Dean
Chairman