J3-Be29 6 ae” @ 16 January 1957 wixr they should have one in order *o provide the support that they would be obliged to provide to you. An awful lot of material and equipment gets simttlec back and forth, and I think that if they were asked how they world go about supporting a test operation up there, they would arrive at the conclusion that an airstrip is extremely valuable. I feel that they vould be able to cut down their investment in nes materials and still be able to guarantee the support capebility by being able to shuttle parts and people back and forth. GIBBINS: Tidisagree. RHC: It depends upon the mmber of stations rou build ashore. Werl, Let's leave meterials out of it. I can remembex a number of occasions on CASTLE end REDWING when it got pretty important to 1ake a medical evacuatian from Bikini to Eniwetok. GIBBINS: I already made the statement thet if you decide to base the airstrip on the factor of safety alone, I would agree. We weren't trying to say that you couldn't conduct an operation without an airstrip up there. What we were saying, or doing, was lookizg at the way operations have beon conducted, and trying to decide from our own point of view whether it was reasonable to assume that if the place was developed, if pressure would be sufficient that an airstrip would be put in anyway, whether it was asked for by yo, or ua or anybody else. GIBBINS: Weil, that might be, but we are not asking for it. FELT: Yes, but despite the fact that you didn't ask for it for UCRL operaticns, thete would be enough pressure for it anyway. So, it would be a fair asoump- tion for planning purposes, at least in one category of the planning, that an airstrip would be put in, and we vere exploring the implications of what the general idea for developing the place would be, on the besis that there was an airstrip. We also felt that if you put an airstrip in, you also hope thst you can use the thing after you begin to shoot up there and that perhaps |