SECRET"
~—at
:
-2-
Admiral Strauss next referred to reports that the Soviets are ahead
of us in atomic power.
He said they are nottrue.
While the
Soviets will have an accelerator about two years from now larger
than any we will have at that time, we will have one about three years
from now larger than theirs.
He added that we have about 800, 000 kws.
of atomic electric capacity in prospect.
He sees no reason for
accepting recent proposals for a $1 billion public program.
He asked the President whether he had considered the appointment
of a bi-partisan committee to report in ninety days on the various
questions that are now causing such turbulence in the Department of
Defense.
The President said that while he found such committees
to be of great value, the Congress tended to insist on making its own
study of every subject.
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ad. Goodpaster
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Colonel, CE, US Army
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.
The President concluded by saying that we are going to be pushed
hard as to how long we continue to carry out atomic tests.
He has
been thinking of putting it on the basis "as long as the Soviets do."
Admiral Strauss said he would suggest putting it on the basis of testing
whenever an idea has been developed which is ready for test.