Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-12-08
President Sees
Nuc|ear PoWer
Site in Desert
BY WILLIAM HINES
Star staff Writer

ALBUQUERQUE, N. M, Dec.
8.-President Kennedy headed
for the second half Of his two
day Western atomic swing.
He was scheduled to see for
himself the facilities where
tests are being pushed on a
small but powerful nuciear re-
actor for space-rocket use. The
Nations deep-space aspirations
beyond the moon-rest with
such a device.
Mr.. Kennedy was briefed on
the atomic rockets progress
and problems yesterday at Los
AlamoS, some rs miles north Of
here in the foothills Of the
Rockies. He heard q plea for
heavier funding for the Rover"
program Of space rocket devel-
opment. Briefing experts told
him that with adequate funds,
a flyable version Of the rocket
now under test could be ready
for first flights by 1867 and for
deep space work by 1870.
The Rover program-funded
jointly by the Space Admins
tration and the Atomic Energy
Commission - has about $2l5
million this year. A sharp in
crease in the fiscal 1864 budget
to be sent to Congress next
month is widely predicted.
To Head for California
Los Alamos is the place
where the power-plant tech
nology for Rover was developed.
Actual testing is under way at
"area 400" Of the Nevada test
site, about 100 miles north Of
Las Vegas. This was Mr.. Ken
nedy's only stop today en- route
to a weekend of relaxation at
Bing Crosby-s desert hideout
near Palm Springs, Calf.
The Presidents two-day trip
began early yesterday with a
Jet flight from Andrews Air
Force Base, Md, to Offutt Air
Force Base near Omaha, Nebr.,
headquarters of the powerful
Strategic Air Command.
Mr.. Kennedy got his first
briefing at SAC since becoming
President, and presented a
plaque to the ever-ready re-
taliatory force for the part it
played in the Nations pre-
paredness in the Cuban crisis.
From Offutt, Mr.. Kennedy's
big Air Force plane flew to
Santa Fe, capital of New Mexico
and nearest point to Los Ala
mos where a jet can land. He
helicoptered across 80 miles of
sagebrush covered desert and
pine studded, canyon SCARED
upland to the atomic town
founded in 1943 on the site of
a boys school where the atomic
scientist, j. Robert Open
heimer. spent his youth.
Speaks in Los AlamOs
After a classified briefing on
the Rover program, Mr.. Ken
nedy spoke briefly to a crowd
Of about 5000 persons at the
Los Alamos town football field.
He cited the direct contribu-
ton" of the community's many
scientists and technicians, mot
only to the freedom Of this
country but of others all around
the world"
Accompanied by defense,
atomic energy and space Off
Gals, and by Vice President
Johnson-who rode in another
helicopter-Mr. Kennedy then
flew here for a top-secret atom
bomb briefing and an over
night stay. The briefing was
given at Sandia Base, where
new weapons are designed.
He arrived at Albuquerque's
civilian air terminal-at one
end Of sprawling Kirkland Air
Force Base just as the de-
scending sun was beginning to
cast twilight's first long shad-
ows. His l0-mile trip down the
city's Central avenue to Sandia
Base began in daylight and
ended in darkness.
There are Signs-and Signs
The size Of the crowd which
greeted him here was difficult
to estimate because it was
spread out over such a distance.
Nowhere was 1t particularly
deep. but for almost the whole
route it was elbow to-elbow. II
seemed that a fair share Of the
city's quarter-million residents
had turned out.
AS he passed the University