Memo to Starbird, Subject: Briefing on Plans to Impact Icbm at Eniwetok (U)

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NOTE TO GENERAL STARBIRD 15 March 60 1-’ THRU Colonel Ho Deputy Chief, Test Branch SUBJECT:BRIEFING ON PLANS TO IMPAGT A briefing was held in the Joint War Room tmnex in the Pentagon on the of HQ SAC made the presentation which included a slight change in schedule - presented by STL for use of Mack tower as ground zero was considered unsatisfactory. Standard methods of computation have now been used and ~;:d- , ‘; the ground zero has been movedP ut 4 nautical miles northwest (as mentioned in my note of 25 Feb 60), resulting in a reduction in kill ,,,,,@i~&;:fi‘;: probability to 7.7 in one million, 1/3 of tte accepted kill probability ~- “~~~’‘j ;: for usual missile launchings. An impact point another mile NW might be ;:<,:” preferred due to shallower water (for nose cone recovery). Use of that /;]’ ‘ :: GZ would further reduce kill probability to 6.2 per million; however, errors are expected to be ‘tovers$’in range so the target will not be :<.},,\.,, moved to that point. !:-,,,,-1 ccuracy for these shots from Vandenberg APB is predicted to beT600 ft. and prediction of impact time to be within 1/10 second. MI :~:~i:? Q!g ~ Accuracy of 17 previous ATLAS firings was reviewed. ,g~ered to have been within a one nautica#nile circle. There was one shot 9 i-:2 ~-...<2,?.’:; utical miles over, due to failure to cut off the fuel at the indicated -— e, and an Atlantic shot was 275 miles short due to fuel cut-off by a ~~ range station 10 seconds too early. (Lackof down range stations =:r .- ..: inates this danger on PMR.) Maximum error in azimuth has been less =~ se of Bikini was not covered but the question was raised whereupon 5: rig. General J. K. Hester directed that cost figures more complete than =E hose given by H&N ($25,500 +$10 per man day to reactivate Nan camp for ~ :!.: en for 30 days) be computed to be available should use of Bikini have ~.,::;-> e reconsidered. the briefing, I discussed possible AEC objections and asked what is inimum error detectable by the safety menitor at Vandenberg APB. This t known but appears to be well over the error necessary to hit Fred Island. ‘This discussion revealed that the missile body does not completely bum up on re-entry. Retro rockets operate ap’.,~of ~~~ation of the

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warhead but the body follows closely be-hindand extra splashes in the Atlantic target area indicate that large components such as pumps are In the briefing it/indicated that the AEC is participating by providing instrumented warheads which telemeter reliability of operation and provide some check on outer space testing instrumentation. The proposed firing schedule is as follows: On April 6, the first missile will be fired at the ~lakeIsland splash net Thereafter, Eniwetok would 27 July and 21 September. At a later date they would at the Eniwetok target. (where the kill probability be used on 4 May, 29 June, hope to fire a fifth shot The proposal is to be presented to the Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for operations, hopefully tomorrow. If approved> it would then go to the Chief of Staff of the Air Force, the Air Force Secretary, the Secretary of Defense and then to AEC, through MLC.