ATOMIC ENERGY


sion is insignificant when compared with the urgency to determine
more accurately the ceiling on atomic development.
  5. Consideration of Current Policy on International Control. The
military is in strong support .of the United States position in the
United Nations on international control of atomic energy. Prelimi-
nary studies indicate that the possible existence of a thernonuclear
weapon does not appear to warrant change of the ,attiltude of the
military, with the exception that serious consideration must be given
to the probability that adequate control would be more difficult and
that successful violattion of control would be much more significant.
Detailed studies by the, United States in this regard are indicated and
should be undertaken without delay.
  6. Considerations of Tidning and Intensity of Effort. The over-
riding considerations which indicate , necessity for the development
and test of a thermonuclear weapon occur in conjunction with the
analysis of the situation which would exist if the USSR had sole pos-
session of a thermonuclear weapon. Accordingly, our plans must be
on such a scale that we do not lose an appreciable amount of time in
determining the feasibility of such a weapon. From the military point
of view the following minimum program should be undertaken at this
time:
  a. The determination of the technical feasibility of! atthermonuclear
explosion las a matter of top priority.
  b. Studies of the necessary delivery vehicle and ordnance problems
should proceed concurrently with a above and should not necessarily
,await trial of a thermonuclear assembly.
  7. Considerations Regarding Security. There are many facets to
the question of whether it should be made, a martter of public knowl-
edge that the United States is engaged in an active effort to develop
a -thermonuclear weapon. It is considered thlat public discussion once
initiated and encouraged is extremely difficult to control and in-
evitably leads to a greater disclosure than originally intended. An
additional factor of military significanee is the divergence of opinion
among scientific circles in this country relative to the feasibility of a
thermonuclelar explosion. It can be expected that such divergence of
opinion exists in the USSR on at least an equivalent parity. If the
United States announces that we are engaged in an 'active effort to
develop a thermonuclear weapon, such positive knowledge would ge
added credence and ascendancy to the Soviet group sponsoring devel-
opment in this field and may result in an earlier start or greater impe-
tus to the Soviet-program. For the above two reasons, it is considered
that any decisions or actions pertaining to United States effort
to develop a thermonuclear weapon or any determination of its feasi-
bility is mili~tary information of 'the highest securi~ty cl~assificatio~n.


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