Colonel Kenneth X. Fields
76,
AOetober 2952
Coutssica, the Los Alanos Setentifio Laboratory win, afcourse,, eater ; es
- its best efforts to put thea into effect promptly and soupletely. tee
:
“with regard’ to specific programnatio matters, the following maybe |
.
‘noted: within the next nine to tvelve months the major part of the Los =.
aa
Alenos Ecientific Laboratory responsibilities with respect to the BRO
088.
weapon will have been completed. {his will ecaplete the geometrical ca ee oa
spectrum of implosion vespons according to a long renge development -
progran established by jt
se Scientific Laboratory several year
7eeveel
.
gO. Seer
ne
ce
ag tebe
' ~progran vill reflect no other specific weapon developments in the imple- . 2
Dee
sion field other than those cores for which requirements have already been 2 <!) tat
written dom. Rather, the Laboratory will exbark upon en extensive pro- ;osNy.
—
oo
‘gram of general fcplosion weapon understanding and improvement which gay le
last for several years. The specific area of maximum concentration will 25: be determined by examining the military stockpile requirements and from “ “Lo
the exphssis therein ve expect to deduce those weapons which the ailitery ~
regard as most important. If, at any time, it is necessary or desirable
| Lor reasons of ordnance e
inee
or D eduction
=~.
lant utilisation to
freeze upon @ nev model §
Z
Sa OE wale Bes
Weapon, We will exemine the state ofthe “art etthe
the tine and design the
warhead im accordance with the best concepts which have been tested.
.
In the thermonuclear field, {¢ is highly improbeble that s signifi«
cant test will be sppropriste before Nay, 1952. It is perhaps wost
probable that such a test will occur either in the latter part of that
year or the early part of the folloving. The status of this field
contimes to be one of enormous theoretical interest but whose overall
practicality cermnot as yet be precisely stated. As noted earlier, {ft
is extrenely dubious if extensive administrative changes will do other
than slow down this effort.
With recard to the ease of staffing sidi-
-_
be
=
Pa
tional effort elsewhere than at Los Alamos, {t may be noted thst
oe
i
Professor John A. Wheeler at Princeton, with essentially carte blanche ©.
and the attractions of an academic stzosphere, bas been able to obtain
To.
the equivalent services of only eight full time theoreticians after an 8 3
extensive campaign of recruitsent involving sore than 115 approaches.
-—
The tour of duty of many of those whom he did obtain is less thana = —
year. The Los Alamos Scientific Taboretory Theoretical Division now
has a staff of 109.
-_
:
We believe it quite appropriate to examine frou time to tine both
the level of acccaplishzent enfi the basic philosophies of the Los. ~
a:
Alamos Scientific Laboratory. If ve vere to criticize ourselves, such . ~
eriticiam would primarily direct itself toward the fact thet we have |
shown too much preocceupetion with the development, engineering, and
production of specific Veapons and _Sorraspondingly too little attention
pio
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