On 2 Nov. Bradbury responds to BeULS'
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on atmospheric versus underground testing and Bradbury makes a strong
case for the lack of real advantages from underground testing as opposed
to the attainment of a number of advantages if we could go to atmospheric
testing. His TWX stands in stark contrast to that of ALO.
Even though
he states it would be “hard to understand why we should willingly agree
to stopping air testing once started and returning underground" he urges
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that a stockpile of holes be accumulated.
Gen. Betts wrote a memo on_2 Nov. detailing a meeting he attended in the
office of a Mr. Howard Furnasofthe State Department on Oct. 23 with
the Department of the Interior, Department of Defense, Department of State
and AEC in attendance. The memo goes into some detail on the various
persons’ arguments against the advisability of going to either Bikini
or Eniwetok for the testing and states that it was the consensus of the
group that we should look very carefully at the possibility of using
either Johnston or Christmas, and only move to EPG if the factors dis-
cussed are out-weighed by other considerations.
A most important memo from Deputy Secretary of Defense Gilpatric
to the Chairman of the JCS on 3 November 1961 addressed ‘Weapons
Test Plans and Preparations."'
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Gilpatric clarifies the instructions
prepari-y for atmospheric testing which came out of the NSC meeting and
the President's announcement and directs certain preparations for the
test series to be readied as announced four months hence, as well as
parallel planning towards achieving an early capability for developmental
tests using an air task force inthe area south of Hawaii.
the AEC with DOD and
He notes that
State Department participation are trying to
obtain a suitable island site and that negotiations with the UK
for the use of Christmas are to begin immediately.
While noting that
JTF-8 has been activated and will be building up for the long term
operation, the task group under the Air Force is already in being and
planning and preparations by that group are to continue.
The Air Force
and Navy efforts to prepare the Asroc, Polaris, and Atlas systems
tests are to continue.
Inthe interest of compressing the number of tests
that can be done in the short window (probably twelve weeks) he specifically
directs that the DOD see what can be done to equip more aircraft for
air sampling.