Letter to Distribution, Et Al, Subject: Test Directors Organization

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SUBJECT: TEST DIRECTOFt IS ORGANIZATION The purpose of this memorandum is t o describe the Test Directm's Branch Of the AEC Continental Test Organization. zation formally places the- full responsibility for sll scientific wark sponsored by whatever agency with the Test Director, All, experimental pro3cts as well a8 technical supporting units are therefore incorporated i n the Test Dk ect or * s As presently constituted the Test @ganiTest Director ts Office The Test Directarts Office comprises the Test Director, h i s Deputy, ard technical arid secretarial assistants, the Staff Sections described below, have heterogeneous duties. Deputy Test Director they do not have authority except a t specific times and h specific matters but rather serve primarily as information channels, Test Director, on tho other hand, i s authorized ta represent the Test Directar in a l l matters concerning the Branch. him t o the Test Director. Virtually complete authority and responsibility for the Programs within any one Group are delegated by the Test Director t o the appropriate Group Director. The present organization includes three Groups, the Military Effects Test Group, the Weapon Development Test Group, and the C i v i l Effects Test Group. m n t of the Test Director, Group Directors make any changes, deletions or additions, to Programs within their Groups. by the Test Director ina way best suited t o meeting the over-all aims of a given set of tests or a given test series. sponsoring tests, t h e Test Director's decisions i n technical and operatiQna1 matters are final. It should be pointed out that in practice agreements are reached i n conference between the interested parties and thata 'kommanda relationship is not evident, Members of this Office, as distinct from members of Apart from the A Group Director may, however, appeal over Conflicts between Groups are resolved Under a broad agreement among all agencies BY AUTHORITY OF

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As mentioned above Group Directors have wide authority and responsibility for mentation methods of all Projects in their Programs. w i t h the other Group Ilirectors they are also cognizant of work being done i n other Groups. Their primary concern is, however, t o ensure t h a t the work being carried on in their Frograms is in fact achieving the stated aims of the experiThey are familiar with the general technical aims and instruThrough frequent contact By inference a Group Director is i n agreement with these aims. Each Test Group is divided i n t o several Programs. Program Directors are responsible t o the appropriate Group Director and are delegated wide authority aver the work carried out in their Programs. a single Group are settled in conference with the Group Director. Conflicts between Programs within Program Directors are thoroughly familiar with the purposes and methods of all Projects within their Programs and a r e cognizant of work being done i n other a s o r t of advisory committee of which the Group Director is chairman. capacity they advise the Group Director and assist him i n making decisions affecting the over-all work of h i s Group. The Program Directors taken together should, ani frequenuy do, f o r m The basic experimental unit is the Project. with related work but, are primarily concerned with the d e t a i l s of their own Project i s by implica.tion more thorough than t h a t of any other member of the Test Organization, It i s for this reason that the Project Officer i s charged with the responsibility af mak:ing a detailed statement of the aims of h i s experiment and the methods he proposes t o use, of preparing periodic status reports, of submitting requirements for equipment, construction, logistic support, etc., and of writing the final report on his results. - Froject Officers should be familiar The Project Officer's knowledge of the purposes and methods of h i s The success of a given test series depends very strongly on the ability of individual Project Officers t o understand and carry out the jobs which they have Officers, since these are the men who are going t o obtain the basic experimental data desired from a t e s t series. The Test Directar's Support Units and Staff Sections have been set up t o provide the Project Officers with the help which they will need. The entire Test Organization is devoted to supporting the Project The Support Units, R(ad-Safe, Weather, Assembly, A i r , etc. are responsible direct ly to the Test Director, are usually passed t o the Support Units through t h e Test Director's Staff Sections or through the Test Director's Office. They provide services which are of general use t o General requirements originating with experimental units Details of these requirements are

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en the other hand generally worked out by direct communication. general rad-safe requirements are submitted t o the Test Directar in status reports but a hroject Officer and a head monitor will work aut the details of any specific recovery procedure in accordance with the general AEC rules governing Staff and Advisory Sections The two major Staff Sections are the Engineering & Construction SectLon and the Plans & Operations Section. coordinating construc-tion ofall test installations, with the maintenance of a current instrument chart, and with processing of job orders originating in the Test Director's Branc'h. I n the planning phases of an Operation the Engineering & Construction Section coordinates t h e layout of instrumentation a t the Proving Grounds, assists the Project Officers i n formulating design criteria for recording shelters and instrument stations, passes design sketches t o t h e AEC Field Manager f o r t h e preparation of working drawings, obtains approval of these drawings from the Project Officers, and authorizes f o r the Test Director the construction of required facilities. During the construction phases this Section assists the Field Manager i n the programming of the work and i n the inspection and acceptance of completed facilities. the Section assists Project Officers i n obtaining additional minor facilities, emergency repairs, etc. through the processing of job orders. The first is charged w i t h the responsibility of During the operational phases The Plans & Operations Section is charged with the responsibility f o r coordination of a l l test operations. portation, coordinates the use of radio frequencies, schedules recovery parties, etc. While the Engineering & Construction Section i s generally most active in the pre-operational phases, the P l a n s & Operations Section is most active i n the This Section arranges f o r operational transThe other Staff Sections have functions which are somewhat l e a s extensive than i s the case with the corresponding military sections. The Test Director's Personnel Section doles not, for example, maintain pay records. tained by parent organizations, civilian or military. Instead the Personnel Section presents t o the AEC Field Manager the Test Director's view in matters of housing, messing, the handling of personal mail and laundry, recreational facilities, etc. The Section also operates a Mail Room for official corresThe Field Manager handles a large portion of the logistics and supply problems which arise i n the Test Organization inasmuch as he furnishes shipping instructions, cartage from railheads, and warehousing and storage a t the Nevada and the Test Directorfs Logistics & Supply Section is in e f f e c t an offshoot of the LASL Supply & Property Department set up t o serve USL experimenters, Most experimental units handle their supply problems internally, The Test Director has no Security Section as such. handled by the AEC Field Manager. Securiw is a function The Test Director has, however, a Classifi-

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cation Section which serves a U members of the Branch. the Classification Guide prior to a test series and in the course of the series is available for interpretation of the guide, as well as for classification of specific pieces of data. inasmuch as he is a l s c Classification Officer of the AEC Santa Fk Operations This Section prepares The Classification Officer occupies a dual pe it ion The remaining Sections are primarily advisory. industrial safety, gacliological safety, and special assembly problems. It i s quite true t h a t the Nevada Proving Grounds were originally thought of as an extension d f the facilities of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory and it was therefore natural that the technical organization should be composed largely of LASL personnel. Grounds has ever been carried out without participation by experimental units from the Defense Department and by civilian organizations outside df the administr at ive jurisdiction of the AEC*s Santa Fe Operations Office. They do not have what are These Sections are concerned with It, i s equally true that no Operation a t the Nevada Proving Because bf the fact that the Proving Grounds have never been reserved exclusively f o r use by LASL er even exclusively for laboratories under SFOO, the technical 0rganiP;ation has always been an entity distinct from the parent 4rgahizations which have furnished !Lis personnel. In praktice every member of the Test Directorls Branch incltuding the Test Directtrr is formally employed by a parent organization outside {;he add nist rat ive jurisdiction of the Las Vegas Field Office and in many cases ddtsi.de the jurisdiction of the Atomic Energy Commission. So far as the technical aspects of a t&sts eries are concerned, however, the Test DSrector is respbnsible directly rather than through N s parent drganization t o the sponsoring agencies or their delegated authoritrtes , In this description of the Test Director's Branch no mention has yet been made Of the sources of technical information Qr i t s flow channels. The Test Directbrrs Branch includes a great number df competent scientists, specialists i n aU. phases of research techniques and experienced i n the special problems peculiar able t O every Project Officer. of this inform tion . I n many cases Pruject Officers will know whom t 9 see fer answers t o specific h i s prablems ta the Test Director's Office. those people best qualified t o help him. The combined knowledge of a l l of these people i s availProject Officers are encouraged make fuU. use If this is not the case the Project Officer should bring He w i l l then be put in touch with From time t o time i n the course of a test series formal and sometimes formidable dacwnents are issued 'by the Test Director t o cover specific points in detail. These documents run tlhe gamut from general information sheets to the Administrative and Operatitn Orders. answer as many detailed questions i n advance as can be anticipated, The general purpose of a l l such doicwnts is t 0

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The form of these documnts may sometimes lead t o a mismderstandqg of their intent. They are not in general a promulgation of rigid rules or halter able facts but encompass ttu best available in form tian and the most generally useany extensims, alterations and amendments which can be shoo:~lrbo improve the efficiency of an Operation and t o athieve ma% Valuable test res d.tsc The Test Director i s willing and anxious t o consider 5. Though written communication between all participants of the Test OrgAnization t o the Test Director I s Office for whatever assistance they itay reed. Group Directors .. 2 each Program Directors - 2 each Project Officers = 1 each Staff Sections - 2 each Support Units - 2 each AFSWP Field Command - 10

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Military Effects Development Test Group Test Group Civil Effects (1) Staff and Advisory Sections include: Personnel, Classification, Operations, (2) Support Units inc1u.de : Weather, Documentary Photography, Assembly, Rad-Safe, AEC CONTINENTAL TEST ORGANIZATION

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A partial directory of the Test Directorts Branch for the next seP’ies Gf tests a t the Nevada Proving Grounds i s attached for your informatiun, Deputy Test Director: Military Effects Test Group: Civil Effects Test Group: Los Alamos, New Mexico Los Alamos; New Mexico Los Alamos, New Ilexico Headquarters Field Comand, AFSWP Sandia Base, P. 0. Box 5100 Albuquerque, New Mexico Headquartms Field Command, PFSWP Sandia Base, P. 0. Box 5100 Albuquerque, New Nexico Los Alamos, New Nexica Los Alamos, New Mexico Division of Biolojg & Medicine Atomic Energy Commission

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Staff & Advisory Sections UCRL Technical Advismr Special Assembu Advisor : Industrial Safety Acivisar Radiological Safety Advisor: Unknawn as of 26 September 1952 Graphic Arts, LASL Los Alamos, New Mexico Albuquerque, New Mexico Unknown as of 20 September 1952 Unknown as of 20 September 1952 Edger ton, Germe shausen & G r ier University of California Los Alamos, New Mexico Los Alamos, New Nexico Unknown as of 20 September 1952 Ralph Carlisle Smith Los Alamos, New Mexico Los Alamos, New Mexico Los Alamos, New Mexico

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Headquarters Field Conanand, EFSWP Sandia Base, P. 0. Box sol Albuquerque, New Mexico Las Alamos, New Mexico Headquarters Field Command, AFSWP Sandia Base, P. O e Box 900 Albuquerque, New Mexico Los Alamos, New Mexico Headquarters Field Command, AFSWP Sandia Base, Pe 0. Box 5100 Albuquerque, New Mexico I6s Alamos, New Mexico Headquarters Field Command, AFSWP Sandia Base, I). 0. Box 5100 Albuquerque, New Mexico