B-58 Hustler was photographed from outside the fence at Convair's Fort Worth plant (AW, December 17, p. 28) over the heads of a public crowd of 3,000 who jammed the highways coming to see the first flight. Man at left is one of many photographers, including those from Life and NBC-TV, who took pictures of the B-58 on its various flights. On the high ground across the field are residences and other public property from which the supersonic bomber could be observed. Drag-chute landing in this photograph was at conclusion of first flight. This and other exclusive B-58 photographs published in Aviation Week were made by Art Johnson.

[Aviation Week, December 24, 1956]

EDITORIAL OSTRICH HEADS IN THE SAND

On page 33 of this issue, we are publishing a picture of part of the crowd of 3,000 people, many of them equipped with cameras, who witnessed the first flight of the Convair XB-58 Hustler supersonic bomber at Fort Worth, Tex., in October. These people were watching the flight of a large-140,000 pounds gross with 55-foot wingspan-aircraft from public property adjoining Carswell AFB. This area is open to anybody regardless of nationality or citizenship. At this writing more than 2 months after this flight, the Defense Department has not yet released photographs of the XB-58.

General KINNEY. Let me elaborate this matter just a little more, if I may.

The airplane has become such a tremendously complex mechanism that one photograph of it may be almost worthless in terms of intelligence; another may be enormously valuable. This depends, for example, on whether you get a good clear shot of the orifices of the jets and any other detail in the airplane. So I do not think that you would be wise to lump pictures just generally. It depends on the type picture.

Mr. MITCHELL. But this picture shows individuals taking pictures of this plane in flight and landing. Certainly they were present when the plane took off?

General KINNEY. Yes, apparently.

Mr. MITCHELL. They could have been over 5 miles off on another hill. They still could have taken photos of the thing; is that not right?

General KINNEY. They obviously did.

Mr. MITCHELL. Should a photographer who takes pictures outside that base be required to submit them to the Department of Defense? General KINNEY. I know of no legal requirement for him to do so. Mr. MITCHELL. Thank you, sir.

Would you say that this is an example of classifying the unclassifiable?

General KINNEY. Well, sir, the record, I have not gone all the way through on this, of our efforts speaking for myself and Colonel Casey and others in the office that I had at that time-to obtain the release of information on this airplane reflected my opinion.

Mr. FASCELL. Could I ask a question, Mr. Chairman?

Mr. Moss. Yes, sir.

Mr. FASCELL. I would like to submit this picture, which is entitled "The Convair's B-58 Hustler." It appears on the cover of Aviation Week of December 17, 1956, and I ask your opinion as to whether or not, intelligencewise, this is not a pretty good picture.

General KINNEY. It is a good picture. It could be better. Mr. FASCELL. Yes. All you need to do on that one is get inside the airplane.

General KINNEY. Well, you would like a picture a little more head-on in the airplane for maximum worth.

Mr. FASCELL. It would do until a better one came along?

General KINNEY. Any photograph that can be subjected to study by technicians provides an absolutely amazing amount of information.

I am sure you have had testimony on that in the past. But it has always disturbed me what the photographic interpretation people can come up with out of an apparently simple and harmless photograph.

General LUEHMAN. One thing about this picture, sir, that is unique; there is no frame of reference. There is nothing you could get dimensions from.

RESTRICTIONS ON AIR FORCE MISSILE INFORMATION

Mr. MITCHELL. Mr. Chairman, at this time I would like to take up restrictions on information about Air Force missiles firing I would like to submit for the record a memorandum dated April 25, 1957, subject: Comment on Missile Test Firings by Commanding General, Air Force Missile Test Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.

This memorandum is signed by Murray Snyder, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs.

Mr. Moss. Without objection, the memorandum will be made a part of the record at this point.

(The material referred to is as follows:)

OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF DEFENSE,

Washington 25, D. C., April 25, 1957. Memorandum for Director, Office of Information Services, USAF. Subject: Comment on Missile Test Firings by Commanding General, Air Force Missile Test Center, Cape Canaveral, Fla.

It is requested that you authorize the commanding general, Air Force Missile Test Center, to respond to press inquiries received at his base after an observable missile test firing has taken place, in accordance with the following guidelines. When queried, he should confirm that a test firing has occurred, but should not release additional details such as type of missile, results, etc., for reasons of military security. He can point out that extensive flight testing rocket vehicles in support of the long-range ballistic missiles program and others, has been going on for some time and that these tests will be continued. In the event of an accident, a brief statement to that effect can be made with details as to casualties, if any. In either instance, he should telephone the text of his statement to your office prior to releasing it if possible, or immediately thereafter, for use by OPI/OSD. (NOTE: This procedure does not apply to Vanguard program, which is covered by other guidelines.)

MURRAY SNYDER.

Mr. MITCHELL. Do you have a copy of that memorandum, General! General LUEHMAN. Yes, sir.

MISSILE FIRINGS SEEN BY HUNDREDS

Mr. MITCHELL. General, are the missile firings at the Air Force Test Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla., in plain sight of thousands of people who can photograph the missiles in flight?

General LUEHMAN. No, sir, not in plain sight of thousands of people. Many people, many hundreds of people can get a pretty good view of it, but they have to make an effort. In other words, there is no grandstand setup for them. And they do not have to simply walk out-they have to get boats and get close to this place to see it and be in close sight of it.

Mr. MITCHELL. Are you referring now to the launching platform? General LUEHMAN. At Cape Canaveral; yes, sir.

Mr. MITCHELL. Therefore the launching platform is not necessarily open where people could see?

General LUEHMAN. No, sir.

Mr. MITCHELL. Could it be seen from outside the base?

General LUEHMAN. The launching platform?

Mr. MITCHELL. Yes.

General LUEHMAN. I do not believe so, sir. I do not believe I can answer that, though, because some of them can.

General KINNEY. Yes.

General LUEHMAN. From the water side, yes. But I doubt it from the land.

Mr. MITCHELL. What restrictions does the Department of Defense impose upon the Air Force about the release of information about missile firings?

SNYDER'S RESTRICTIONS

General LUEHMAN. Based on the directive which you put in the record, sir, we can say three things. We can say a missile has been fired; we can say that there was an explosion, if there was one; and we can give out information pertaining to casualties, if any. We cannot give out any advance information on any missile firings, nor can we name the missile.

Mr. FASCELL. Excuse me, please.

This is the directive that you are working under from the Department of Defense?

General LUEHMAN. Yes, sir.

Mr. FASCELL. How in the world do these people get the pictures of this thing and how did we get movies of it if nobody knew it was going to be fired, if the Air Force cannot say that it is about to fire this missile?

General LUEHMAN. I think you are referring to the thing that appeared in the press.

(The material referred to is as follows:)

[From the Washington (D. C.) Post and Times Herald, June 13, 1957]

The camera records the short flight of the Atlas missile fired at the Air Force Missile Test Center at Carpe Canaveral, Fla., yesterday. At left, from about 3 miles away, is the missile shortly after leaving the launching pad. In center, the missile shoots upward. At right, down comes a flaming piece of missile, believed to be the nose section, after an explosion a mile in the air. Story on page A1.

ATLAS BLOWS UP AT 5,000 FEET-OCEAN-SPANNING MISSILE EXPLODES OVER ATLANTIC IN ITS FIRST AF TEST

CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA., June 11.-The Air Force fired the ocean-spanning bal listics missile, the Atlas, in its first big test today, but the weapon exploded in a shower of orange flame and red-hot metal at about 5,000 feet.

There were no casualties, the Air Force announced. Some pieces of the missile apparently fell in the Atlantic only a few miles offshore from this Florida cape.

The Air Force here hinted that the "big shot" was the Atlas and informed military sources in Washington later said flatly that it was. Other sources further indicated that there would not be another test firing for some time.

[Five times previously in recent months tests of ballistic missiles have gone awry, the Associated Press noted. Two of the Army's Jupiter intermediaterange missiles burned themselves out in a few seconds before a third produced results judged satisfactory. One Thor intermediate missile-an Air Force project-rose only a few feet from the launching platform, another zoomed out of control and had to be destroyed in flight, and a third blew up while being fueled.]

The official version of today's test was that a missile had been fired in connection with "extensive flight testing of rocket missiles in support of a longrange ballistic missiles program and others (which) has been going on for some time and will continue."