MEMORANDUM FOR THE DIRECTOR FROM STANLEY J. GROGAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88-01365R000300260004-5
• Release Decision: RIFPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 16, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 22, 2004
• Sequence Number: 4
• Publication Date: February 15, 1954
• Content Type: MF

-CLab.itit r-6u4'tri L uIAiAL
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15 lebruary 1954
Wees4):IM iTel
amietwoROWNO
ateemied the 2 P.M. screenine of the first print of 2E2ATIO, IVY film
in 1,'opm 213, Atomic Eberty Building, today. Those presents7FrAn'rgialal
'rekine, tlarines, (rot.), and Nr. William nortell of Defense; Jim Hagerty for
eee nite House; an OC1-13 representative; and others. The director or informa-
eion services for AnC, "Ir. Morsec;alisour:,,, was in charge, and also present
,plaL r. vobert Le ,iaron of AC. It was announced oy Admiral .)trauss that
'ilerr would be no mention of today's screeeins eel the :hole rotter aoule be
ve). cercridential so as to avoid publicity.
,Aomiral Lewis Strauss rot the ?roup torether in his office after the
screenin,- to eet their v'ewpoiete. I expressed ("or you the view that CT 's
leeereet
was overseas in allied countries end in the Soviet and its satellites
eel, the main viewpoint as to whether the picture should be released or not
'eule be the eolitical considerations involved when the French, Italians, and
..ers see it. T also raised the question of timing as to whether it should
be released as ,)r000eed, in March, or should await a later Gate, say in May,
;,Ivetute we are now coming to the enu of the Berlin talks, have a new shaky
1-talian tovernment lo -)ower, find MG under attack, etc.
Uaeerty said he thought the picture could be released but the question
? timine needed to be studied. He regretted, he said, thot therewasn't a
eowing of an atomic explosion so that the people who now know the atomic
euenroon would see the much iTeater destructive power of the hydrogen bomb.
eeneral ';:rekine asked if we shouldn't consider whether the public would
eent to see the effects of biological warfare, gas warfare, etc., if this
eicture is made public. Admiral Strauss did not believe so enu there wae no
other discussion of this point.
The 0(4'13 representative said thet their interest, too, was the overseas
etTeet and they, of course, wondered how it would fit in with the Presidential
ieroeram, otc. Admiral Strauss asked that the people present return to their
various offices zold give a report to thou cniefs with his request (Streuss'e)
that in the next day or two objections; or concurrences be elven. le said,
eoeever, no final action would be taken on a release date until after the
eeretary of State Elle C. '0. Jackson have returned to easeington.
cen ;c4wetne thet people in Teerope, our allies, may welt Le friEhtened
? ,r4%t tlxi see so th' t they would certainly not 4ant any hydrogen hosing
of their countries, either by us or by the soviet. And so fearful may they
-co-e that they would dopt the Fuseian proposal for deetruction of atonic
eed hyuroron bo mus and weapons rather than the et!er of the?resident Et tht
nitedtations or the old Baruch plan. I believe we coule lose to friends an,
1U on on the ver e fear that we would use the weaeon in their countries,
erticelarly would it seem to be debateable wIlother the picture should be
leoeaeed at this time ahon Italy ane France are so confused by the work):
enee the eieture is released here it imeLediately ie slAppea overseas
and relea6e6 ver re it is saleable so thet it is nut possible to have a
? td Aates use only.
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(Teneral >rkthe raised th question as to whether anyti)ing in tAw picture
would help the Russians and was told there u:19. not anything that would help
them. %Iowever, it is certain thAt a Russian themo-nuclear scientist, seeing
t,he picture, would be able to check the effect of this bomb as compared to
theirs and would have some idea, which may be unimportant, of the various
rethods used in holdirr the tests.
_tile this meetinE, was on, Conressman Cole telephoned Nr. Strauss regarding
spuecn which Cole had submitted for clearance in which he states that the bomb
,dped. out an island. This fact, of course, 'rgls n)peared in the press at vrtrious
Amos and Mr. Hagerty expressed the belief that no great harm iTCad e (:one
except ta,:t peoole woul say, o'dhy does the chairman of the ttomic Energy
Committee have the ri,ht to release such information when no one case has?" and
latir when the picture is released the fact that Sterling Cole made the state-
:M, ad now the 'facture confirms the fact miFht be undesirable. 'i-terc didn't
be any strong feeling one way or tile other.
C.:05,-,f,N1',ATION: That CIA oppose the release ol the picture at this time
in the near future arid have a study made of the effect :;uch release will
have on friend a!,,.1 foe in urope. The release of this picture, notwithstanetine,
r.fiagertyls favorable view, will certainly be "rattling the atomic saber,"
tIhIch the ?resident recently asked not be done.
riere:tth is a recommended letter to yr. Strauss.
17,;helos
.:..TANLEY. J. GROGAN
ki-t4
Approved For Release 2004/11/01 : CIA-RDP88-01365R000300260004-5