KELLY JOHNSON VISIT 6 APRIL WITH ADMIRAL RABORN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP68B00724R000100040078-2
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 15, 2016
• Document Release Date: August 18, 2003
• Sequence Number: 78
• Publication Date: April 5, 1966
• Content Type: MF

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Gopy ~ of
5 April 1966
MEMORANDUM FOR: Director of Special Activities
SUBJECT: Kelly Johnson Visit 6 April with
Admiral Raborn
1. In connection with Dr. Wheelon's request to you that
we pull together our ideas on possible subjects which Kelly Johnson
might choose to discuss with the Director, I have the following brief list
of possibilities. I have long ago given up attempting to second guess
Kelly when it comes to a meeting of the sort he will have with the
Admiral, but these are certainly possibilities:
a. The question of security clearances for the skunk
works: This was covered in a separate memorandum to
Dr. Wheelon which I understand, from him, he has already
talked to the Director about.
b. General Geary tells me this morning that Kelly has
an appointment later in the day with Dr. Flax to discuss
"something entirely new". Leo added that it Was his
suspicion that this would be Kelly's approach to the problem
of what system should come after the OXCART. We hav e
known for some time, beginning with a discussion over a
year ago between Kelly and General Carter, that Kelly
favored 25X1
as his answer to our e or s in NRO
Project about which we feel he has some limited information.
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NRO review(s) S E C R E T
completed.
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We've also known that Kelly has been working on a
proposal fora presumably with 25X1
Lockheed funds. ven though he may raise this first NRO
with Dr. Flax, I think he will also want to mention it
to Dr. Wheelon and the Admiral perhaps if for nothing
more than to elic ~ the latter's support in any NRO
decision on the subject. I think Kelly has already
written us off as a source of material assistance in
major funding.
c. It is not at all impossible that Kelly may have
developed some new gadget applicable to the North
Viet Nam situation about which he and the Director have
had several discussions over the past year. You may
recall Kelly's idea for a king-size tractor device which
would assist in defoliation in the jungle areas. As I say,
he could be coming in with something in this department
although we have no advance intelligence on this subject.
d. Personally, I would look to him to also raise the
question of a new buy on the U-2R. Rec ent loss rates
have tended to add new emphasis to his announcement
that the time to get started is now. General Geary has
raised with Dr. Flax a proposal for the procurement
of twenty-five U-2R's without specific reference ~.s to
who would get how many of the new aircraft. I understand ,
but without confirmation, that Dr. Flax has discussed this
with Dr. IIornig, the President's Scientific Advisor.
Geary's proposal as he related it to me deals only with
FY 67 funds while our proposal, which has not been sent
to Dr. Flax yet, did furnish modest sums for long lead time
items in FY 66.
e. Ever since Kelly started getting awards from universities
and the government for "the YF-12A and SR-71" he has
said repeatedly that at some point he would be willing to
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sE cr,.E T
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"sit down and discuss with LBJ" about using the OXCART
capability if we found ourselves unable to advance
BLACK SHIELD through the many hurdles it faces prior
to deployment. There is an outside chance that he may
mention this to Admiral Raborn knowing as he does that
we have not yet received Presidential permission to use
BLACK SHIELD. If he does this, I think it will come
in the form of a question to Admiral Raborn to the effect
that he, Kelly, stands ready to move into the political
arena on BLACK SHIELD, if we feel the time is right.
2. Perhaps the above may cover Dr. Wheelon's request
insofar as we can read the tea leaves from here.
Deputy Director of S~ec~al fA-e~tivities
S E C R E T
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