ee On ee ee
wate
Colonel Kenneth B. Fields
he
21 October 1952
(4) Continued
responsibility {utimetely connected with the problea of SF accounta-
bility. It 18 eoncelvable that such materials (particularly J-235)
-ecould be bundled up and sent elsewhere for recovery. {nuesmuch as
this would en4 a very large excunt of related vork required for &PF
accountability (chemical analysis, bookkeeping, etc.), the saving
in manpover might be quite appreciable - perheps equivalent to
“twenty or thirty individuals. Of course, there would be a consid~
erable loss of S&F accountability in detail although the gross
_ balance of materiel into and out of Los Alamos vould eventually be
available to the Atoaic Energy Coranisaion.. a
The question ts frequently raised as to the reason for Les
Alanos concern vith processes of active metal preparation, fabrica~
tion, and recovery. The ansver lies, of course, in the purity of
materials required for weapon use. We have accordingly regarded it
as one of the primary responsibilities of the Laboratory to make.
sure that the @evelopaent of a weapon was paralleled by development
of methods to make the material for the weapon.
However, once the
process is adequately developed (slthough this is seldom really _
believed to be the case), our interest in it naturally decreases, .
Accordingly, the process of 0-235 recovery for current; Weapons is:
now essentially routine for Los Alenos.
(e)
r
TheLaboratory construction_progrem,
Por sone tine we have been conscious of almost active opposition to the Laboratory construction program on the part of the
Bureau of the Budget. We have also been awere of a definite lack
of confidence on the part of the Atoaic Energy Comsission itself.
‘At the present time, it is becoming increasingly dubious if —
‘structures to be built henceforth will provide as adequately for
the laboratory as those already in existence. The specific
proposal can be asde to discontinue for the present any further
laboratory construction not directly denanied by the needs of the
technical program. This would affect specifically buildings such
as the Administration Building, the General Laboratory Building,
the Medical Research Building, nev cryogenics facilities, and.
others,
The construction program, when complicatedby the
repeated need to justify end rejustify space is taking « serious
toll of time of technical people, and the exasperations
engendered are no leas a fetriment to technical work. Were a.
moretoriua to be declsred on all further South Mesa construction
until either the “war” was over, until the present buildings
burned or fell down, or until a somevhat more enthusiasti¢
‘
coplED/DOE
LANL RG ~
:
e
.