174 Dahlgren 



Laboratories really came into being during this period, immediately after the 

 war. The largest laboratory, geographically and also in numbers of people, was 

 at China Lake, but NOL settled down with a considerable complement of 

 civilian scientists and engineers. Indian Head had its first stirrings of interest in 

 doing something besides making powder. At Dahlgren, there was also consid- 

 erable activity. 



You were assigned to the Chief of Naval Operations infune 1949 and eventually hecame 

 Director of the Atomic Energy Division {Military Applications Division^ What was the 

 role of the Navy Labs in your work then? 



There was very little connection between the Navy Laboratories and the 

 Atomic Energy Commission which was then, and still is, the manufacturer of 

 nuclear weapons for the services. The Military Applications Division — I don't 

 know what it's called now — spent most of the money which Congress appro- 

 priated for weapons. Most of the money appropriated for the AEC was spent by 

 the Military Applications Division, and this is still true. The major laboratories 

 supporting the AEC were, and still are, at Los Alamos, Sandia Base, and the 

 University of California. Since that time, another one has been developed near 

 Berkeley at Livermore, California. 



In December 1953, you were assigned as Deputy and Assistant Chief of the Bureau of 

 Ordnance and later became Chief of BuOrd in November 1954. Since the Navy Labs 

 were tinder you at that time, what was your philosophy regarding their tasks in supporting 

 the Fleet and possible future consolidation of efforts? 



I was hopeful, and I remain hopeful, that the Navy Laboratories can be of 

 crucial importance in supporting the Navy. Essentially all of the production of 

 ordnance material for the Navy is done by civilian activities. Much of the 

 research and development is also done by Navy-supported civilian activities, 

 such as the Naval Ordnance Laboratory at Penn State, the ordnance activity in 

 Seattle, and the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins, which was the 

 birthplace of the antiaircraft missiles— TARTAR, TERRIER, TALOS, etc. 



We did not, in my day, foresee the future consolidations of Navy Labs that 

 were to take place. We were too busy trying to attract and maintain adequate 

 staffs at the several laboratories and test facilities. We were hopeful that the 

 laboratories could set the pace for ordnance and its developments and provide 

 guidance to the contractors. We were able, especially at NOL, to do a certain 

 amount of pilot production of such things as fuzes, and the same thing was true 

 at the Naval Ordnance Station at Inyokern. The question of consolidation came 

 up after my time in the Bureau of Ordnance. 



The United States was just coming out of the Korean War while you were Chief of the 



