136. Memorandum for the Record Prepared by McCone, July 271
Dr. Edward Teller called at my home at 1:30 on July 27th; expressed concern over the possibility that we were going to enter a moratorium of a test suspension without reasonable means of verification.
I discussed at some length the two risks, one being the loss of our nuclear superiority if we stopped and Russia proceeded clandestinely; the other being the dangers inherent in nuclear proliferation. I told Dr. Teller that there was no danger of our entering an agreement which [Typeset Page 368] would suspend all testing unless reasonable means of verification were agreed upon.
Dr. Teller then spoke of the enormous developments possible as a result of the breakthrough in the [text not declassified] experiment. I told Dr. Teller I did not feel that the true significance of this breakthrough was understood and that he should be sure Seaborg and Dr. Harold Brown fully appreciated this fact and brought it to the attention of their superiors and to the President.
- Meeting with Dr. Teller regarding verification issue. Secret. 1 p. CIA Files, Job 80B01285A, DCI Memos for the Record, 4/7/62–8/21/62.↩