HISTORY - Page 10
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
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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.