obtained on something like a four month delivery schedule.
Thus, Ogle feels that
three months would be en absolute minimum to do anything other than safety tests
and this could easily stretch to four or four and a half months after go-anead.
As for Livermore, “it appears that LRL is continuing to dig at a somewhat reduced rate
in Nevada.
They have been in the process of arranging drift tunnels for several kinds
of shots and have also drilled some fifteen hundred foot deep shafts which could be
used.
It is my impression that some of these shafts were drilled in connection with
containment studies rather than in preparation for a real test series.
However,
it
is still perturbing that they are allowed to sink large amounts of money into these
things but we are not.
I suppose the explanation has to do with the fact that any
plans for firing we have presented include only vertical holes which the AEC Zeels
can be drilled on short notice.”
This status report to the Lab Director coincides
almost exactly with Eisenhower's
announcement that we are no longer under a
continuing moritorium but feel we can test if the need arises by giving prior
nuntirication.
Here is the next program letter, dated 30 Dec. 59, from Bradbury to Starbird,
ere
wherein Bradbury begins by noting the LASL technical program for 60-61 suffers
4
7
from "what appears to be becoming a chronic difficulty - i.e., the continued
state of uncertainty regarding the extent and character of nuclear weapon testing
by the United States.
It must,
therefore, he obvious that changes in the current
- domestic and international political scene could have a pronounced effect on the
relevance and accuracy of the various technical forecasts which follow."
this letter addresses mainly the changes from the last letter,
Therefore
the first of which
“——