RESURFACING OF RUNWAY AT WATERTOWN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP57-00011A001000100018-6
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: December 7, 2010
• Sequence Number: 18
• Publication Date: April 19, 1956
• Content Type: MEMO

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/12/07: CIA-RDP57-00011A001000100018-6
6476
y 7 of ?.
19 April. 1956
ae ec jty Officer
I Project .rector of Administration,
e ?ie rfatain of &eunway at 'xatertvwn
1. As you no doubt are aware, '4r. > .as*ell, approved the project
to resurface the runway ? at 'Atortown. Duru t tr2 out t the
week of April 9, , discussed with the matter
of ptutsing the resurfacing so as Wr, to era with We tr-ainift
program, It appears that it will be inadvisable to cease training
"rations for 10 days while the runway is being resurfaced and so the
only solution *sens to point towards haviang the work a while training
(narsely, take-offs and landings) is ocaaductmd an the lake bed. ;his can
be worked out provided 5ecurity's approval is given to having the
uncleared personnel working on the ru=W during U-2 operations from
the lake bed.
2. During such operations the only reasonable approach we wld be
to have any of the V-21 a w Lich are sitting around the gars covered
with tarps or hidden from date view tx, gees tar ra or sow ether
types of er uipnent. the U-2 would have to be towed out onto the lake
surface during w-,:Loh time it would be quite readily viewed by the
workers. r1owaeveer, I doubt rat#eethsr such workers would be technically
inclined enough to gain much information as to the airplane's performance
capabilities merely by asaing it being towed out. 14 oculd, of course,
have some arrangement whereby the configuration of the airplane could
be obscured by having a car follow the airplane or by draping canvas
over the wings. AV wt` we attempt to do this we would allow for a
re:aacnable degree of oompromisey however,* I would like for you to
consider this problem as give me your thinking and r nowentdat leans
on how we conduct this ;fit operation.
3. If from a security standpoint you cam t go along with this
dual type of operation, I an afraid w o will have to withhold reseurfacing
the runway because we cannot afford to stop our training program
especially when we have so few airplanes available and so lots
to train.
3..
?- Materiel
,4
7 - -h-ron.
Jeot Director
25X1
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2010/12/07: CIA-RDP57-0001 lAO01000100018-6