10. In regard to the timing of the CASTLE Operation, Los
Alamos proposes in Enclosure "B" that March 1, 1954, be set as
the target date for the first test.
This is based on the rate
of supply of lithium-6, the time required for fabrication,
snipment,
and assembly of weapon components, and the senedules
for construction of test sites and installation of equipment at
Bikini and Eniwetok,
Although there is no one phase of the
preparations which prohibits the start of CASTLE a little ear-
lier, every phase is so tight that March 1 seems the best tarfet cate to set for the initial detonation,
Tentatively estab-
™
lishing a less realistic date would lead to confusion in planning and conducting the operation and would probably not result
in an earlier successful completion of the operation,
ii, Scheduling the date of the first CASTLE test for March 1does not adversely affect the time when the first emergency
capability i8 to be achieved,
le, Consideration was given to Limiting the CASTLE program
to & maximum of four shots and deferring the remaining tests to
a later operation.
While this would be favorable from the point
of view of simplifying and shortening the CASTLE Operation, it
would not be consistent with the maximum effort toward thermonuclear progress,
It would also involve greater expense inherent
in two separate operations,
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