91. Record of National Security Council Action No. 24400
Washington, November 2,
1961.
NUCLEAR TESTING
- a.
- Following a briefing by the Central Intelligence Agency of the current Soviet nuclear testing program, the Council recommended to the President that preparations for nuclear tests in the atmosphere be undertaken now prior to any decision to resume atmospheric tests.
- b.
- The President asked the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission to examine whether, in the event atmospheric testing is resumed, the desired tests could be conducted in a relatively short period of time rather than being spread over several months.
- c.
- In view of the complications which might arise in the event the Eniwetok and Nevada sites were used again for atmospheric tests, the President requested that a study be made of all possible sites which could be used to test small, as well as large, weapons.
- d.
- The President approved a statement with respect to U.S. policy toward nuclear testing which he later read to the press.
- Source: Department of State, S/S-NSC (Miscellaneous) Files: Lot 66 D 95, Records of Action by the National Security Council, Meetings of the National Security Council 1961. Secret. Taken at the 492d meeting (see Document 90).↩