'2) A US_September 1959 letter from Harold Brown then Deputy Director of
RL to General Starbird DMA, Document No. BY-S9-126. This letter contains
the LRL proposal to perform the Concerto seismic program.
[t notes that
t is based on cxperiments proposed by the Berkner Panel and
/as
Y
ecified in BMA's message No. S-140, date group 151506 July 1959.
Brown's
etter proposes a program.to be conducted jointly by the AEC and DoD to
mplement those experiments. Other pertinent earlier references are 2 LRL
communications, a message No.
BYX59-121 dated 12.August 1959 and a letter
lo, COPAAS9-22, dated S June 1959. Brown notes that this letter is a detailed
lescription with refined cost estimates for the various experiments and the
umplacement and technical program and that it supersedes the previous communitations and excludes the
granite shot named Lollipop which was proposed
vy the Berkner Panel. The letter goes into the details of how LRL would propose
70 emplace and perform the detonations of the six nuclear events and one high
xXplosive event (Cottontail) which they claim would make up the Concerto program.
the events are named Orchid, Porpoise, Cottontail, Coffee Pot, Crystal, Stingray
nd Dinosaur.
Brown notes their understanding that DoD would carry out the
listant seismic measurements and that AEC would provide the detonation and
weasurements of device performance, close in earth motion, and intermediate
eismic signals. He lays out some of the details of what LRL would propose
rould be the measurement program. The cost estimates are laid out and generally
wre derived from the August 'S9 Holmes & Narver study.
In conclusion Brown
‘equests immediate authorization to proceed with construction of Station U125.10
’
wets
hich would be used for the high explosive Cottontail event and sets 15 February
960 as a ready date for that shot. He adds that authorization‘to proceed with
iore detailed planning of the entire Concerto program is also requested but
hat presumably at this time only Cottontail can be conducted with no political
‘estrictions.
.
A JSScptenver59 TWX from Starbird to the Laboratories addresses the
studies and expe¢rinents for chtWweting nuclear weapons tests underground.
ow
First of all, it-notes the highest orfority is now being given to large,
hole decoupling tests, such as Project Cowooy, associated engineering
studies and theoretical studies associated with large-Role decouplinz.
He asks the Labs to consider other mctheds of conceainent and/or decoupiing
such as small-hole decoupling or combinations of small holes, as well as
other schemes of decoupling such as use of other mediums, iike ice.
Further,
‘Starbird asks for the extension ofengineering studies to consider the
practicality in cost of large holes for detonations in the range of 20 to
100 kilotons. He concludes by asking that effort not be detracted froa
the high priority pronzram to do these other studies. He also stresses the
necd to avoid any leak or speculation that the large~hole cxperimentaticn
is indicative of AEC planning for any nuciear tests. Replies frem Livermore
and LASL discussed the on-going studics in the areas of detonation
concealment
eo
Doses ee
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Neither folder has much of anything of interest after 1959.
.:
¢
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