COVER MEMORANDUM FROM RICHARD M. BISSELL TO A. J. GOODPASTER TRANSMITTING DOCUM

Created: 4/6/1959

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

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APPROVED EOR PEIEASE DATE:2

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MEMORANDUM FOR: Brigadier General A. J. Goodpaster

At tha meeting oo the morning9 concerning proposed CHALICE activities, several questionsked concerning the urgency of theie requirements,elieve all concerned felt that the tmwen offered were not entirety satisfactory. It waa my impression that the more important questions on this aspect of the matter were the following:

Can the sighting of one or at most two ICBM sites yield any information, positive or negative, as to the current extent of ICBM deployment? Would the failure to find sites at the expected locations prove anything?

Do we have any good reason for believing that the specific Locations and the railroad lines which it is proposed to investigate are In fact the sites of ICBM bases?

Ii we were lucky enough to see one or even two individual operational bates, would we learn anything of real significance?

In an effort to provide as clear answers as possible to these questions,produced the attached notes. If you feel that they do in factwhich were missing atpril meeting, you might carethem along.

6.UCW5YK

Kiuruutu m. tsiasitiL,Ls, jk. Deputy Director (Plans)

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CONSIDERATIONS BEARING ON PROPOSED CHALICE MISSIONS

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below are certain facta andona whichearing on the proposal discussed on the morninghese are offered in answer to questions railed in the couree of that discussion,

1. There Id hard intelligence to the effect that at the locations which are the primary targets of the two proposed missions,

, construction activity has recently been lo progress and that this activity it in some way connected with the Russian missile program. In addition, thereeport from a

specifically identifying the primary target of the southern mission as an ICBM site. These are not randomly choseo or merely plausible locations. Rail lines proposed for coverage are those which by virtue of security from observation, geographic orientation and strength of road beds are most suspected of Likely use in logistical support for hard sites or mobile launch.

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One of the targets on the southern mission ia the location and nature of which is positively known. Up-to-date photography of this target would reveal the character of the second launch site under construcdon there eighteen months ago end would give at least someof the answer to the questions raised in the preceding paragraph. In addition, there might be clues to assist us

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proposed southern mission in addition wouldof what has been identified fairly firmly from other sources as a

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coverage would contribute evidence in answer to the questions raised in paragraphnd would in addition permit inferences to be drawn as to production rates.

information on these questions will, we can beprior experience, provide clues to permit interpretation offrom all other Intelligence sources,covered by these specific operations.

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Original document.

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