No Firm Order Yet For U.S. Tests

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29801, 18 April 1962, Page 15

No Firm Order Yet For U.S. Tests

(N.Z. Press Association —Copyright) WASHINGTON, April 17. United States atomic tests in the atmosphere may start within “a few days,” according to the “New York Times.” But President Kennedy had not yet given a firm, final order for the Pacific test series to start, the newspaper said.

•‘With only a few days remaining before the probable start of the tests, an argument is still going on within the Administration over how manv atmospheric explosions should be conducted.” the newspaper said More Tests Wanted

The Defence Department, according to Administration officials, were pressing for more tests than were at present planned in the two to three months long test senes at Christmas and Johnston Islands. . _ The opposition to the Defence Department pressure was coming largely from the Atomic Energy Commission end advisers to the President. Their argument was that the additional tests were neither necessary militarily nor advisable from the standpoint of fall-out. . . Because of the Administrat.on’s desire to limit the

amount of fall-out. it was likely that the test series would not be enlarged, as proposed by the Defence Department, to include additional “proof testing” of atomic weapons, the newspaper said. President Kennedy. in authorising preparations for atmospheric testing, declared that the fall-out should be held to “an absolute minimum.” The principal way the United States proposed to hold down fall-out was to limit the number of explosions. But how many tests the United States planned to conduct was being kept a tightly held secret. Officials said, however, that only a “moderate” number were planned and indicated that the total was far less than the some 50 atmospheric explosions set off by the Soviet Union last year, the "New York Times” reported.