XII - a lack of interest on our part or that we no longer consider the collection of very high altitude samples to be important (if in fact we still think it is) ,not From such a November attitude, Dr. Plank had apparently jelled his opinion concerning the need for the laboratory to get behind the procurement of the B-57D, On 12 December 1955, he urged Dr. Graves to take whatever steps necessary to assist the Air Force Special Weapons Center, Dr. Plank had apparently been informally notified that Headquarters, United States Air Force, rejected the two-year-old request for B-57D as sampling aircraft, In a note to Dr. Graves, he expressed apprehension regarding their sampling program and repeated the reasons for. acquiring B-57D atreraft.>> To supply General Canterbury with all possible aid in obtaining the B-57D aircraft, Major Harry H. Elmendorf provided a detailed discussion of "AFSWC Sampling Capability" which was a strong argument for the later models ,2° As wording used in a letter written by Dr. Bradbury to General Canterbury was almost verbatim of that used in the urgent letter to Dr. Graves, it could be assumed that he had acted upon Dr, Plank's note immediately, At any rate, Dr. Bradbury threw the entire weight of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory tetrind the B-57D aircraft, with the exception of any promise of financial aid? A month later, General Canterbury replied that the procurement wheels had started turning for General Thomas S. Power, Commander, Air Research and Development Command, had urged him to renew efforts to get B-57D aircraft, He also assured Dr. Bradbury that Los Alamos Scientific 251 SWEH~-2-003); 0 AFWL We ra . ~