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REPORT ON THE SAFETY ASPECTS OF THE UHA AND Report to the General Manager by.thp 1. In AEC 952/21 I advised You that a rePort on the safety aspects of the UHA (21j0,000feet) and WA-prime (125,000 feet) shots of OperatidtilkAR@ACK wouldbe forth- ..,. coming, A copy of that ietiortis being circulatedseparately to the Commissionby the Secretary. Attached Is a copy of a Ground PlanningBoard commentingon the report, 2, I invite your attentionto the followingpages of the safety report which I believe will be of interestto you! a, Pa e VI-1 which containsthe conclusionsof b. Page III-6 through Page 111-9 which contain informationrelative to probabllIties of disastrous events associatedwith possible, foreseeable 3, I will advise you further concerningthe problem flash blindnessupon completionof the study mentionedby implementthese shots as plamed. CLASSIFICATIONCANCELLED .= 1, Cy TWX Graves to Starbirddtd 11/20/57 Its transmitt closure of its
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FM lMS ALAMOS SCIENTIFICLAB LOS ALAMOS NMEX TO DIV OF MILITARY APPLICATIONUSAEC WASHDC SANDIA CORP SANDIAB ALBUQUERQUENMEX FCAFSWP SANDIAB ALBUQ~RQUE NMEX OGLE AND D3N SHUSTER AS REQUESTEDIN YOUR LETTER TO ME OF 22 ~CH 1957J T~ ENIWETOK PLANNINGBOARD MET 18 NOVEMBERFOR THE PURPOSE OF CONSIDERINGSAFETY ASPECTS OF THE THREE HARDTACK HIGH ALTITUDE SHOTS, IT CONCLUDEDTHAT THE THREE SHOTS COULD BE CONDUCTEDWITH ADEQUATE ASSURANCEOF SAFETY, AND SUGGESTED TWO MINOR MODIFICATIONSOF ASSO~IATEDCIRCUITRYIN INTEREST CONCLUDEDTHAT THE ORDER OF HA~RD BECAUSE OF MALFUNCTION OF MISSILE OR ARMING AND FIRING CIRCUIT WAS PERSONNELON., BIKINI ISLAND, PERSONNELON EN$J ISLAND, TASK FORCE SHIPS, AND LEAST, NATIVES ON NEARBY ATOLLS; IT WAS CONCLUDEDTHAT SUCH HAZARDS FOR INTERNATIONALWATERS WOULD BE EXTREMELY SMALL, CONSIDERATIONIS BEING GIVEN TO HAZARDS FROM THERMAL RADIATIONOR FROM FALSH BLINDNESS IN INTERNATIONALWATER OR ON NEARBY ATOLLS. IT WAS CONCLUDEDTHAT THERE NEED BE NO IS BEING GIVEN TO THE FLASH BLINDNESSERO13LEMAND A BETTER ANSWER SHOULD BE AVAILABLEEARLY NEXT YEAR, IT SEEMS UNLIKE THAT CALCULATIONSIN PROGRESSWILL SHOW THAT A PROBLEM EXIST
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WHICH CANNOT BE HANDLED OPERATIONALLYBY THE TASK FORCE, THE PLANNINGBOARD THEREFORECONCLUDEDTHAT SAFETY CONSIDERAT PRESENT NO REASON FOR DISCONTINUINGWORK AIMED AT PERFORMIN3 THESE TESTS: DETAILED AND APPROVEDMINUTES OF THE MEETING WILL BE FORWARDEDTO YOU AS USUAL WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE, END OF MESSAGE