163. Letter From Colonel Jack A. Gibbs of the Office for Atomic Energy, Department of the Air Force, to the Secretary of State’s Special Assistant for Atomic Energy Affairs (Smith)1

Dear Mr. Smith : Reference is made to our letter of 13 December 1954 and your reply thereto dated 23 December 1954 with regard to the feasibility of conducting seismic surveys in Sweden and Norway.2

We have reached the decision that we must relocate our Thule, Greenland, seismic station. Our capability for detecting Atomic events in the USSR in the Northwest quadrant from the target area continues to be below the desired minimums. For our purposes a seismic station in Sweden would be better than one in Norway, however, we would desire to conduct surveys in both countries with the proviso of establishing a permanent station in that country which gave the best reading during the survey.

In the event we find it politically and technically feasible to establish a seismic station in either country we would also desire to install an electromagnetic station in the same country. If technically feasible the electromagnetic station would be consolidated with the seismic station.

In establishing a permanent station in either country we would, of course, desire to operate the station with our own personnel. In addition we would desire not to reveal results of station operation to the government concerned.

Our seismic survey team, currently operating in Europe, will be available to conduct the requisite seismic surveys in Sweden and Norway during the latter part of August, this year.

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In view of the above it is requested that you query our embassies in the two countries to get their reactions to the proposals. We will be prepared to send a member of our staff to brief the Ambassadors and to assist them in any way possible during the negotiating phase.3

Sincerely,

Jack A. Gibbs
  1. Source: Department of State, Central Files, 711.56357/5–655. Secret.
  2. Neither letter has been found in Department of State files.
  3. Ambassador Strong reported in telegram 90 from Oslo, August 3, that the Norwegian Government agreed in principle to the establishment of an electromagnetic station in Norway, but only upon certain conditions. Negotiations on these conditions had still not been completed by the end of 1957. Documentation on the negotiations is in Department of State, Central File 711.56357. Department of State files do not reveal whether the Swedish Government was approached on the question of establishing seismic stations there. In telegram 512 from Copenhagen, February 16, 1956, Ambassador Coe reported that the Danish Government had agreed to permit surveys by U.S. personnel, but would not commit itself to approval of the establishment of a seismic station. Brigadier General D.E. Hooks, Chief of the Office for Atomic Energy, Department of the Air Force, advised Gerard C. Smith in a letter of September 28, 1956, that his office had no further interest in establishing a station in Denmark. Documentation on the negotiations with Denmark is ibid., 711.56359.