On 8 November Betts sent a memo to Leudeke documenting the fact that Sandia
feels that air drop of a 30 or SO megaton weapon from a BS2 aircraft at
a release altitude of 35,000 feet with a height of burst of 15,000 feet is
both feasible and can be safely performed.
Documentation on November covers the fact that DMA has been requested to
outline for a Senator Aiken the reasons for the U. S. resumption of atmospheric testing as well as underground testing and also to prepare a proposed
atmospheric test schedule in the event the U.S. resumes atmospheric testing.
9 November meeting of the Christmas Tree Working Group
Note that at aQa
Circe
L
Blossom noted that LASL does not intend to make use of the Christmas Tree
facility for testing at this time but intend to continue participating in planning
since the possibility exists of a future desire to utilize such a facility.
Gf
On 9 November,
H&N submitted their preliminary cost estimates for various
Oniee
sites to be evaluated for Christmas Tree.
locations in Utah,
The estimates for 7 possible
PD
California, Nevada, and New Mexico ranged from about
five million to about eight million dollars for site evaluation.
e from Carothers
at L ivermore to
|,
notes the
the AFSWC commander
GQ
2
on 16 Nov.
sting aircraft
te
c
ri
he
sp
mo
at
the
rehea rsal of
C to have a
299
intentio n of AFSW
alircraft No.
iciipate aboard
rtic
pa
ot
nn
ca
e
Livermor
and says tha t
over Tonopah
A 9 Nov. me
et
°
e.
at NTS and Gnom
due to committents
17°G {
A 9 November TWX from Reeves to the labs quotes a memo that is detailed in
other sets of notes on the Secretary of Defense to the Joint Chiefs of Staft¢
on the subject of planning for overseas operations.
Among other things,
it
is noted here that systems tests to be planned for by the various services
include at this time only the ASROC, the ATLAS and the POLARIS.
CY.