257
SESSION V
WOLFE: Yes.
! just wondered why we're always getting in the
unusual situatior..
ROOT:
dent,
Another thing was that this was so obviously sheer acci-
An explosion in the air—seven men, pilots and crew, killed,
all Americans, It was more likely to make people feel sad, than
mad. Whereas the iikini shot was a deliberately planned test. It
wae portrayed throughout the world as a cynical determination of
the sorcerer's apprentices and their government to advance their
weapons technology regardicsa of humancost, Aterribly unfair
judgment, of course, but these were the press repercussicns and
the impressions of people and governments.
LANGHAM: Some of our friende in other countries seemed to
think that it was a bit of a deliberate act to be flying over faple's
heads with things of thie nature and this came in for a great deal
of international political harangue as you might expect.
ROOT:
Yes, you would get that,
TAYLOR: "The Sword of Damocles" taik was revived for a wile
during the Palomares incident.
CONARD: Couldn't they have re-fueled over the Mediterranean
rather than over this village?
LANGHAM: Yes. In all probability thie was their instruction,
but they had done this so many times that contact was made a little
bit closer to shore than expected. I think tnis has been a big part
of the investigation, un the part of the Air Force to quite an extent:
wasn't there actual human negligence or error on the part of the
crewe? Ae far as lL know, nn action was taken, [ft was just an unfortunate accident, and to put two planes together at 30,000 [eet is
probably not something you always do right on a set apot each tire.
I'm sure it haa all been gone over very, very thoroughly by the Air
. Force,
WOLFE:
Does Russia maintain a Chrome Dome?
LANGHAM:
innovation,
Not that [ know of.
I think this is an American
MILLER: There ia a manual which tells what to do in an event
like this, but it mainly concerns threats to health, and [ suppose