LETTER TO JOSEPH C. GREW FROM ALLEN W. DULLES

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80R01731R000500330004-1
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 6
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: March 20, 2002
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: November 20, 1957
• Content Type: LETTER

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1951
ILI
I have received your letter of U ??:overxber#
rA I I I remember his fa
of World it, ar 1. You can
d by the first 1 ovlet satellite t , nor by tie scc<
test that they would launch a satellite during 1957.
a-4s s
,Out that We should
this country U and 12 October
Purtrmnore.
Lrnte to time. l s y even earlier
reason, or fir, far
r i;s ased- to underrate the nsoiaos, and em
with fully compete t scientiets, they got it first.
firets 1. They put more err; -asim on the a
and see you sum.: afternoon.. at your ct v* once. It has been far too
STAT
oiog toQii you wish. I skou)4 like very much to AMP around
There is no objection to your sending on a copy
long since we have had a talk and there are several matters,
are C or?-ittee;
Distribution:
i-DCI -1 - ER w/basic
a Uen W. Mlles
7D/I
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on 3 November.
in most papers in
carried a report from the
a second launching witbin
can nog orally expect that the
hiC 4
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November 11, 1957
Dear Allen:
Enclosed is a copy of a letter from
STAT
STAT
STAT
although my own records are a little mixed up owing
to my recent illness. It will be helpful if you
will drop me a line to say that you have safely
received a copy of letter and will know STAT
how to deal with it.
A little heart trouble has recently kept me
under the weather, but I am pulling out of it and
hope to be back on routine very soon.
Yours a,,s allways,
The Honorable Allen W. Dulles
Director of Central Intelligency Agency
Washington, D. C.
Enclosure: Copy of letter from
dated November 3, 1957, to Joseph C. Grew.
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STAT
 STAT
TAT Dear
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46
COPY
"'lease excuse this letter if it is out of order, but under the
circumstances I feel compelled to write the following, to you. I'm aware
of the fact that the matter does not fall within your field of operations
at this -point, but I am also sure that you can evaluate the facts and make
certain that they reach the ri~nt hands.
"''hen Russia launched "Sputnik", I took it for granted that our
intelligence department was aware of its fabrication and prompt dispatch.
Obviously I was wrong. By all reports it took the whole world by surprise.
(' ith your permission, I salute the enemy for opening an oyster not here-
A magnificent scientific achievement like Sputnik deserves
commendation no matter what its potential threat to us - - - and being
familiar . ith Patrick AFB, Florida, I'm reasonably sure that I can measure
the extent of the actual gain that Russia has made. It doesn't worry me
technoloically, because I know what we have.
But what happened yesterday scared the TELL out of we.
For more than two weeks I've known that the Russians were goirg
to launch another sattelite, yet the whole world has been again taken by
but if so uhy in the
surprise::l Perhaps CIA was aware of the fact - - -
name of Heaven didn't they forecast the fact? By so doing they would
have taken all the added propaganda value out of the second launching)
- perhaps - 00)
somebody missed a fly ball;
No matter, : - - - what follows is. perhvps important :
Fl.Ol i THE SAL4E SOURC2 TILT I L` AR ZD OF TIIL SECOND LAUNCHING
I `.'At TOLD THI T TIER. ;'."GULD 331 A `.THIRD TO B-1-1 LAUNCHED AFTER X 4AS AND
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JTFT.i 1 ~p :Y. ,..LL 1st.
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( 2 )
TAT
'lease, pass this information along to State and
.I..~. I beg you to do this for me because, if sent directly by me,
it would take at least a month -,o reach 11r. Dulles and MM;r. Dulles.
I know only too well the length of the red tape to the boss' office:l
Addenda: Have powerful radio with me at all times and have
listened to V/of/A all over cortinent.... always with an audience, an
argument, a cease-fire, and a last word for chi:stendom, democracy or
just plain decency. (',:ith all three aboard, I have:n't r,iade anything
lout good friends ever since returninf. )
All. the