\ f- degeee - Phe 2101 CONSTITUTION AVENUE WASHINGTON 25, D. c. CABLE ADDRESS: NARECO WASHINGTON, DB. c. 4.07 469 ° NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA UNITED STATES NATIONAL COMMITTEE INTERNATIONAL GEOPHYSICAL YEAR 1957-58 April 20, 1959 MEMORANDUM To; James R. Killian, Jr., Special Assistant to the Presidebnt for Science and Technology From: Re W. Porter, Chairman, USNC-IGY Technical Panel on the Earth Satellite Program H. Odishaw, Executive Director, U. S. National CommittBe for the International Geophysical Year Subject: Information to be Presented 29 April 1959, at National] Academy of Sciences Symposium on Argus Results It is understood that partial. declassification of the Argus experiment is now under review in connection with the forthcomin g symposium to be held April 29 during the reguler meetings of the National Academy of Sciences. It is strongly urged that this re view seek to permit the maximum release of data consistent with secur ity and, in particular, the reasonably precise reporting of data on the qizes, times, and places of the Argus bursts. l. Such data are necessary if the various papers havj ng to do with observed effects are to be scientifically meaningful. To be sure, a competent scientist can arrive at reaso ably accurate estimates of the time, place, and perhaps even the yield of an explosion by theoretical analyses of his own observations and/of other available data. In fact, some scientists appear already to have done so. It may be assumed that many additional scientists, at home and pbroad, will now review available magnetometer, lonospheric, neutron co ter, and other geophysical records to determine which variations may be forrelated with the Argus events. Thus, it may be doubted whether continued classification of these data will serve useful purposes of security.