~A
M & R REcords Center
"635-Eniwetok Proving Ground" Folder
A 6 March 1958 TWX from Starbird to Bradbury,Street of Livermore and
Reeves asks for their opinions of a couple possible options for future
test series.
One would be to keep the . Eniwetok Proving Ground open
continuously
after Hardtack with very few shots of small yield being
done periodically at the NTS and with these being done underground as
far as diagnostics would permit.
A second alternative to be thought of
would be somewhat the opposite and that would be to utilize Eniwetok
only every so often like every 2 years to fire all those shots over
some designated yield such as 500 kilotons or that could not for
diagnostics or effects reasons be fired underground at the NTS.
Under
this latter plan a continuous type operation would be established at
the NTS using the underground technique for the great majority of shots
and authorizing an above ground shot only on an individual basis and
not to exceed the present limitations.
The Livermore answer to this
hostile
TWX from Kenneth Street on 10 March was persis(In favor of going to a
continuous testing concept.
Furthermore, that laboratory favored the
first proposal to have the Eniwetok Proving Ground open on a continuous
basis over the NTS continuous operation.
Bradbury's answer for LASL
on tl March also favored the new proposals for nex more continuous testing
although it was somewhat less enthusiastic and In part he states "It
would seem preferable to consider more frequent or continuous testing at-Entwetok with periodic operations at Nevada rather than the reverse
arrangement."
Bradbury goes on to cite some of the problems with
the
. continuous administration of Eniwetok and In that vain asks that perhaps
consideration should be given to operating Eniwetok on perlodic basis
but at yearly intervals and this might provide manyyof the benefits to
be expected from a
continuous operation
without the headaches which such
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