VISIT OF (SANITIZED) ON 24 JUNE 1959

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP78B05702A000100030003-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 27, 2016
• Document Release Date: November 5, 2012
• Sequence Number: 3
• Publication Date: June 25, 1959
• Content Type: LETTER

Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/05: CIA-RDP78BO5702A000100030003-3
Director, FIC
SA/R&D/PIC
Visit of
on 24 a ,59
25 June 1959
25X1
25X1
l. Durixuz-a, previous visit by some months back in 25X1
which 'anted to talk about special camera h pro lems in 25X1
order to stay away from sensitive areas concerning i6' work, the
subject of rocket photograby was brought up. I briefly described
the experiments with the Aerobee-Hi camera combination which began
early in '49 with the Viking 11 and 12 and continued through '55, ter-
minating at White ands. I pointed out the possible geodetic
application of this type of system and showed him some of the unclas-
sified nhatop:raphy which were resulted from these experiments. During
visit yesterday his main purpose was to bring us up to 25X1
e on the-state of rocket tography as a collection and mapping
source by in brief summary, there are two o- 25X1
three important projects underway at the moment.
Second, the Navy has also many similar problems observing
gross natural phenomena such as the distribution pattern of the annual
ice break up of the north polar pack which results even today in
several hundreds of thousands of dollars damage to merchant and
naval shipping. Considerable effort and funds are spent to watch
this dynamic event during the periods of late July through October::
4. Third said that considerable interest has been 25X1
generated in the Air Force concerning the geodetic and intelligence
collection capabilities of rocket photography. Be mentioned two
code words one of which he could not talk about at any lenjzth,-E:~ 2.5X1
25X1
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/05: CIA-RDP78BO5702A000100030003-3
 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/05: CIA-RDP78BO5702A000100030003-3
6. In summary, it is expected that maps with a scale of 1:1,000,000
can be constructed from the Antarctic project with considerable detail
to give a photometric calculation of 1,000' contour interval. The
cost of all of these program will be relatively small. I heard the
figure $245,000 approximately being the total cost of each shot. If
this is true, the total coverage from the high altitude shots which
might run a few thousand more each would be relatively cheap compared
to satellite systems.
7. It might be worthwhile to conc.ider this method of obtaining
geodetic and some intelligence coverage because it does not involve
actual overflight but rather can be done from either land or ship bases
with solid fuel propellant which does not technically violate any
international law.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/11/05: CIA-RDP78BO5702A000100030003-3