~10I would like to see us work out a more delibrate and orderly overall pattern within
which we should conduct our future weapon developmental program."
It is certainly
not surprising to hear Betts say this as of this date in May.
Here is a 21 June message from Betts to Bradbury and Foster, documented elsewhere which refers to previous letters and a meeting attended by Bradbury and
Foster of the Commission on June 20.
Betts notes that the AEC and DOD are to
prepare a joint test list and that he intends the LASL and LRL version presented
on 20 June to the Commission to be the first part of an intergrated list.
Some
of the details of the DOD suggestions and comments are of interest.
Betts desires detailed comments from the labs
on the desirability of the DOD's suggestions of these devices as well as longer
range items and safety shots.
In one of his two replies to Betts' requests on 27 June, Bradbury, in
addressing the LASL long range test program gives some attention to fusion
weapons in noting that they are absent from LASL's list.
After discussing the
fact that LASL does have interest in this concept but clearly does not see any
practical application of it yet, he states "These comments are included here only
to make it clear that we have not included the obvious item because we are either
neglecting it, have forgotten it, or believe it to be impossible, but rather that
the whole area is presently too nebulous in technical fact and in actual military
application to warrent the distinction of being included in a 1961 forecast.
However, if you think that this spoils the current love feast by all means add
fully fused full fashioned fusion weapons as an item to our long range program."