358. Letter From the President’s Science Advisory Committee Panel on Surprise Attack to Killian1
We are transmitting herewith a report of a Panel of the President’s Science Advisory Committee concerned with the problem of surprise attack. This report is entitled, “Some Technical Aspects of the Problem of Surprise Attack.”
Since July 15 when you initiated the work of our Panel, we have given as intensive study to the problem of surprise attack as we were able to give in the time available. Our report discusses some of the technical aspects of this extraordinarily complex subject, and has benefited materially from briefings which were heard jointly with the Inter-Agency Working Group studying this same subject.
We especially wish you to note that our study has indicated several problem areas, both technical and military, that will require further intensive study. Some of these problems could not be carefully considered because of the limits of time. Others, it was felt, went beyond the charter of our activity.
[Typeset Page 1418]At your request we have forwarded copies of our analysis to the Inter-Agency Working Group studying this problem, and we are prepared to provide any additional assistance that you may deem helpful.
Respectfully,
- R. R. Bowie
- G. B. Kistiakowsky
- E. M. Purcell
- I. I. Rabi
- J. H.
Sides,
Vadm., USN - J. B. Wiesner
- J. R.
Zacharias
Panel Chairman
- Source: Transmits the Panel’s report (not included). Secret. 1 p. Eisenhower Library, White House Office Files, Additional Records of the Office of the Special Assistant for Science and Technology.↩