Ernest Graves
Within the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory at Livermore, there was a slight difference
of view. I think the top leadership was primarily interested in device development--that
is, the explosives themselves. They were willing to turn the whole effects business over
to the Corps or whoever would take it--the whole business of the size of the crater and
all that. Let the Corps do it.
However, within Livermore, there was a scientific group that had been working in the
effects area. They didn't want to relinquish this work to the Corps.
I wasn't that particular. I said that the Corps of Engineers wanted to be in a position
to design the projects. We wanted to develop the capability--if we had a particular
water project that we wanted to do using this construction technique--to design the
excavation.
We were perfectly willing to turn to the Atomic Energy Commission for the explosives,
hire them to come on the job. We would probably build the emplacements, such as a
tunnel or a hole. But they would come on the job and put the explosive in the hole and
blow it off. That was perfectly all right.
Also, we knew that they would have to be responsible for safety. Well, I think that got
to be accepted. But there was a lot of argument about this along the way.
Q:
The Nuclear Cratering Group was engineer personnel?
A:
The Nuclear Cratering Group was a combination of officers and civilians. The civilians
were employees of the Corps of Engineers. The San Francisco District of the Corps
provided the administrative mother of this thing. They handled the payroll and all the
other administrative functions.
We had one guy who was the budget officer. Everything else, such as the personnel
records, was in San Francisco. It was not that far away--only about 50 miles.
Q:
Did you pick the people yourself?
A:
I picked every single one of them. We got very good people. There was an interesting
transition in the midst of this. There was one man I wanted to get and didn't. I got Bill
Wray. He came as my deputy. I wanted to get another classmate of his--[Colonel] Ferd
Anderson, who was another very capable guy.
There was an argument between me and Bob Mathe, who was the head of officer
personnel in the Office of the Chief of Engineers. The amusing thing was that on July
lst, 1962, the personnel functions of the Chief of Engineers devolved to the new
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