Attachment 5

      Colonel Kieffer to Harold Plank re:  Decontamination of
               Sampler Aircraft at PLUMBBOB, 4/22/57

FROM:  Hal Plank         DATE:  25 April      TELEPHONE _________

                                   Initials            Date
1.  Al Graves
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
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9.
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          ____ Immediate Action         ____ See Me
          ____ Comment                  ____ For Approval
          ____ Prepare Reply            ____ For Your Information
          ____ Necessary Action         ____ Signature
                    ____ Note, Initial and Return


Comments: As you can see, Kieffer just doesn't understand the
          problem - radiation injury is only one consideration of
          the problem.  I doubt proposed ILLEGIBLE will
          demonstrate anything and I tend to regard it as
          interference.  Advice from a reliable advisor at AFSWC
          says we should spell the problem out firmly and in
          black and white for Kieffer, otherwise we will end up
          with only the Ha.  Moral satisfaction of having said we
          don't like.

                           HEADQUARTERS
                 AIR FORCE SPECIAL WEAPONS CENTER
               AIR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND
          ILLEGIBLE AIR FORCE BASE           NEW MEXICO

SWG                                               22 April 1957



Dr. Harold F. Plank
J-11 Division
Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory
P. O. Box 1663
Los Alamos, New Mexico

Dear Hal:

     Attached is a copy of a memo which I sent to Paul Wignall
today.  It is self-explanatory.  I hope something worth-while
will come of this.

                                   Very truly yours,

1 Incl                             WM. B. KIEFFER
  Memo dt 22Apr57                  Colonel, USAF
                                   Deputy Commander

SWG                                                 22 April 1957

MEMORANDUM FOR:  Col Wignall

SUBJECT:  Decontamination of Sampler Aircraft at PLUMBBOB

     1.   On 19 April, I had a shot discussion with Dr. Plank and
Col. Gilbert on the above subject.  Dr. Plank had read ILLEGIBLE 
on 21 March to General Hertford and is worried that any changes
in our decontamination procedures will lead to situations where
personnel may received beta burns on their hands and faces or
otherwise become injured from radiation.  Of course we don't want
this to happen -- and of course also we must somehow persuade all
AEC representatives concerned that whatever changes we do make in
our decontamination procedures will not in fact result in any
significant service of injuring anyone.

     2.   Accordingly, please let's use PLUMBBOB as experimental
insofar as any changes in our decontamination procedures are
concerned.  Start out by following the usual procedures for all
except one or two aircraft.  Use those exceptions to experiment
with ILLEGIBLE procedures, keeping careful control over the
aircraft and keeping complete records to indicate the variations
in procedures and comparisons between contamination recorded on
the experimental aircraft at various time intervals after
exposure and levels on the other aircraft in the squadron. 
Hopefully, this approach will lead to acceptance on the part of
all concerned of some qualifications ILLEGIBLE the present
ILLEGIBLE procedures.

     3.   I am furnishing a copy of this memo to the Director of
Research with a

                   REMAINDER OF LETTER ILLEGIBLE