UNITED STATES
ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION
WASHINGTON 25, D. C.
December 14, 1956
MEMORANDUM for the Commission
Subject:
PROPOSED TEST PLANS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 1957
1, At Commission Meeting 1254 on 12 December 1956, the
Commission considered AEC 944/2, Subject “Proposed Test Plans
for Calendar Year 1957." The Commission requested that a
letter be addressed immediately to the President, requesting
his approval for the conduct of tests in Nevada beginning in
the Spring of 1957.
The attached draft (Enclosure "A") has
been prepared by the Director of Military Application and has
the concurrences of the Divisions of Information Services and
Biology and Medicine, and of the General Counsel. It 1s
circulated for Commission consideration at the meeting scheduled
for 2:15 p.m., Tuesday, December 18, 1956.
2. I would like to point out the following concerning
this draft:
a. Pursuant to Commission instructions an attempt
has been made in the first paragraphs to explain the
devices, and weapons toward which shots are directed,
b, The draft speaks of “approximately 25 nuclear
shots" as possibly requiring a "period of the order
of 5 months," Should the Commission decide to adopt
Plan 2 or some modification thereof, the number of
shots probably would not drop more than 4 or 5,
Also, it is believed that any shortening of time
could not be greater than 1 month,
I believe the
wording used is appropriate and that it does not
prejudge the Commission's ultimate decision,
e. The draft explains thatshots comparable with the
larger ones of prior tests will be generally at higher
altitudes in an effort to minimize fallout on local
communities, It is believed that this is about as much
as should be stated on this point at the present time,