Production and Delivery As may be surmised, production plans for the JUPITER program were as changeable as all other facets of operation. In the beginning, a 50-missile test  program was planned involving a composite of JUPITER C's for re-entry vehicle tests, JUPITER A’s for component testing, and the JUPITER configured missile. During this time, ABMA was involved in a production schedule of about two missiles per month. The roles and missions statement of November 1956 posed the initial threat to the program, and the withdrawal of the Navy in January 1957 further placed the program in a precarious position. However, it was August 1957 before the Secretary of Defense directed that the production schedule be limited to one missile per month, pending a decision as to the IRBM that would be selected for weaponization 84 . The Secretary's decision was in effect for only a short time, for in October 1957 weaponization of the THOR and the JUPITER was directed. In turn, this  released the production schedule to the two missiles per month immediately, and, on 27 November, notice was received that production was to be held  to a maximum of five JUPITER missiles 85  per month. Briefly, the total program, that is, R&D and IOC, was set at 125 missiles. After that, for one reason or  another, adjustments were made upwards and downwards. During most of FY 1958, that is, after the program was refined subsequent to the October 1957 decision, the approved program called for 36 R&D  missiles, 62 IOC missiles, ground equipment for three squadrons, and prototype and training equipment. Here, the program had been influenced by the  budgetary cut first _____________________________

84. Plan, ABMA Plan for IRBM-2 Msl Dev, FY 56-57, 23 Feb 56; Memo, S/D to S/A, 13 Aug 57, subj: IRBM Prog, Hist Off files. 85. Msg, DA to ABMA, 27 Nov 57, Hist Off files