When this decision was made, DOD, in reality, had five possible systems under consideration for the IRBM role. One was simply to use a by-product of the  ATLAS ICBM program and the others included a separate Air Force project, a United States (US)-United Kingdom (UK) cooperative development program, a Navy ship-based ballistic missile, and the Navy TRITON missile. Most of these courses appeared illogical to Army technical experts. With regard to the ATLAS by-product, the high ICBM development priority and the anticipated operational date of the ATLAS — 1965— made this possibility seem a poor  choice. The UK had little experience and it would be 1965 before a product would result from a cooperative venture. TRITON was non-ballistic, so it was  completely ignored. With regard to Air Force and Navy projects, Army believed that these could be combined and the group at Redstone Arsenal could  develop and have the system available by 1960. Also...in September...Dr. von Braun gained an audience with Mr. Wilson and pointed out that the  development of the 1,500-nautical mile missile was a logical extension of the REDSTONE program 14 . Some effect on the development course must have resulted from this particular presentation. The pace accelerated in September and October 1955. An Army staff proposal presented to DOD on 22 September called for a program embracing the recommendations of the Redstone Group, that is, use of facilities and personnel, design assumptions, and cost estimates. On 13 October, the same presentation was made to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). Then, on the 26th, the Army Chief of Staff announced to his key subordinates a plan to execute the 1,500-mile missile development program, if the Army were assigned program responsibility. This plan outlined the role that the later- to-be-activated Army ______________________________

14. Study, 18 Sep 55, subj: Ball GM Sys Props for Range of. 1,500 NM (abbreviated); House Rpt No 67, op. cit., p. 23; House Rpt 1121, 86th Congress, subj: Org & Mgmt of Msl Pros, p. 58; AOMC Ball Msl Ref Book, Subj; Consolidated Chronology of Significant Events in the JUP Pro.