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October 17, 1967 - Image 8

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Michigan Daily, 1967-10-17

Disclaimer: Computer generated plain text may have errors. Read more about this.

THE MICHIGAN DAILY TUESDAY. OCTOBER 17 1967

rAGE EIGHT

(Continued from Page 1)
About half a dozen University
scientists led by project director
Joseph O. Morgan of the In-
frared Physics Lab made numer-
ous trips to Bangkok to help
develop the laboratory, which
will become operational shortly.
Currently James B. Evans, an
engineer with the infrared physics
laboratory is "in Thailand advis-
ing them on the analysis of
Imagery," according to Zissis.
Zissis says that about 20 to 30
military officers were involved in
the project and nine of them
came to the University last fall
for a specialr10-week course. "A
classroom arrangement was set
up where we gave them basic in-
struction in engineering, physics,
reconnaissance technology, etc."
The courses were all taught by
Willow Run staffers except "for
one or two guest lecturers from
the University faculty in meter-
ology," says Zissis.
Returning to Thailand with a
solid background in surveillance
technology, the Thai miiltary men
went to work for their country.
Under University supervision the
Thai's bought and - outfitted a
C-47 airplane for surveillance
work.
Counter-insurgency
According to ' Zissis, "This
counter-insurgency work has two
levels. First the Thai's are using
it to find clandestine Communist
guerrilla activity." By using aerial
surveillance techniques "the Thai
government can locate a group of
Communists who have come in
with military equipment. Then
the Thai military will send' in
forces to capture the Communist
ringleaders.
"They've found a mixture of
Thai guerrillas, some were train-
ed in Vietnam. I wouldn't be sur-
prised if some Chinese guerrillas
are sent in this year," Zissis
added.
This surveillance work, which
includes infrared techniques that
make it possible to see at night,
have also "aided the Thais in pin-
pointing and determining the ex-
tent of activity of Communist
cells in the northern regions of
Thailand," Zissis says.
Zissis says the second function
of "this counter-insurgency work
Is to help tell the Thai govern-
ment where it needs to send in its
pacification workers to make
friends with the natives.
"For example say some indi-
genous rebels are trying to get the
people to revolt because of a water
-shortage. To halt the rebellion
the teams will go in to try to cor-
rect the situation and sell the
Royal Thai government to the
people."
Zissis says that the project is
working well so far. "Generally
the Thais are doing a darn good
job. We feel proud of our stu-
dents."
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Counter-Insurgency

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This is not the University's first
experience in Thailand. Last fall
the University completed a two-
year long, $200,000 contract on
"Acoustic and seismic research in
Southeast Asia." David E. Willis,
who is a scientist with the Ge-
ophysics Laboratory at Willow
Run, was one of half a dozen Uni-
versity scientists who worked on
the project sponsored by the De-
fense Department's ARPA. The
project was subcontracted through
the Atlantic Research Corp., in
Arlington, Va.
"We worked to establish the
normal background noise levelto
aid in such things as detecting
guerrilla intruders. By using mi-
crophones and seismic devices at
14 sites in Thailand we determined
the natural variation in back-
ground noise level for different en-
vironments," Willis says. For ex-
ample the men studied the sound
created by insects to help get a
noise level for rural areas.
Willis points out that one, ap-
plication of this information would
be "to plant these devices around
a troop encampment. If the men
know background noise levels they
can detect intruders." The Uni-
versity scientists wrote a report on
their work for the defense depart-
ment this year.
"Possibly these techniques can
be used in Vietnam. I know the
Thais are very interested in this
information. It would be naive to
think it didn't have military uses,"
says Willis.
AMPIRT
Also in 1964-66, the school
worked in a joint $2 to $3 million
project with Cornell University
called AMPIRT (ARPA Mutispec-
tral Photographic and Infrared
Testing).
Under the $2 to $3 million
ARPA sponsored contract Univer-
sity and Cornell scientists gather-
ed data on the "effects of en-
vironment, crops, foliage, and ter-

sity's war research is centered, is ment "looked at all available tech- lensless. three-dimensional phot-
modest about the University's role niques for monitoring at a dis- ography.c
in the ICBM project. "We did have tance." In the holographic process, a
a small contract on ICBM launch- According to Butler, "all meth- special photograph can record the
es. If they (the defense depart- ods of obtaining information from vibrations of a given object. The
ment) count that as part of the remote locations were examined. frequency of vibrations of the ob-
Strat-X ICBM; it's their book- We looked at everything from the ject can potentially be used to
keeping." use of a microphone in a vase to monitor sounds at a great dis-
"Probably the most sophisticated ground radar. We also studied tance."
of the Univesity's military research where you can use monitoring de- Asked why the name of the pro-
projects is the $4.3 million infra- vices. For example we tried to find ject was changed from "Surrepti-
red observatory atop 10,000 foot
M ount H aleakala on the H aw aiian ::::::;::; : ::: f::;<<;>..:< :::::::::::::::::::::::::<::;::::::::::::> :::
island of Maui. The project is Pentagon's Strat-X committee, which is analyzing strategic needs
funded by ARPA and includes one for the 1970's last week issued study contracts relating to the Ad-
60-inchand two 48-inch reflector vanced ICBM (AW&ST Mar. 6, p. 69). Boeing was given con-
telescopes.
President Hatcher says the ob- tracts for engineering services and front-end configuration stu-
servatory "has very important dies. General Dynamics will look at front-end design and also
military significance," and his will analyze booster configuration and costs. Douglas will study
1963-64 annual "Report on the launch pad engineering. Thiokol will analyze launch and air-
University" notes that "The ob- borne vehicle systems, and the University of Michigan will inves-
servatory will study and track the tigate seismic surveillance techniques.
midcourse flights of ballistic mis- -Aviation Week and Space Technology
siles and orbiting satellites with April 3, 1967
advanced infrared sensing, eas- E...............................
uring and recording devices." ...,.."..........
The infrared method tracks mis- out if you can use them in con- mious Monitoring" to "Optical Re-
siles or satellites primarily from crete. We also looked at ways to ceiver Component Techniques."
their thermal radiation (radiation tell if you're being bugged." Butler explains: "The new name
given off by an object by virtue The work was renewed this year is more accurate. I don't know
of its temperature). under a different title: "Optical : why they called it surreptitious
While the telescopes are for receiver component techniques." monitoring the first time," says
military work, University astro- Butler explains that "we narrowed Butler. "That was an unusual
nomers and visitors from other our field of interest to optical name."
institutions are expected to be al- monitoring techniques." One im- TOMORROW: Security and
lowed to use them to do "funda- portant optical detection technique Research including A Look
mental research in application of now being studied by the research- at Classified Courses, Confer-
infrared techniques to astophysical ers in holography, the science of ences and Seminars.
and geophysical studies."

-Courtesy Willow Run Labs-IST
UNIVERSITY SCIENTISTS from the Institute of Science and
Technology work in Thailand with a Thai civilian engineer to
take thermal measurements in the Thai rain forest. The box in
the foreground is an infrared radiometer, used to take infrared
temperature readings.

rain on detectability in Thailand,"
explains Zissis.
"We sent over several two- and
three-man teams with our equip-
ment," says Zissis. "Our technici-
ans would sit in the back of the
plane and run the reconnaissance
instruments."
ICBM for the 70's
Not all the University military
research is on long term projects.
This spring the University com-
pleted another defense department
contract dealing with ICBM's in
only three months.
The University accepted a
$12,660 classified contract for de-
velopment work on the Strat-X
project, which is developing an
advanced ICBM being designed for
the 1970's.

The April 3 issue of the trade
magazine "Aviation Week and
Space Technology" points out that
the University and four private
corporations, Boeing, General Dy-
namics, Douglas and Thiokol were

all given study contracts relating Surreptitious Monitoring
to the advanced ICBM.
The University's contract was to Sometimes the Universitys' uni-
"investigate seismic surveillance que talents are called on for spe-
techniques." Long a leader in the cial kinds of classified contracts.
development of seismic detectors For. example at the first of this
to record earthquakes, the Univer- year the University completed a
sity was asked to determine the $28,265 contract on "surreptitious
detectibility of an ICBM launch monitoring" for the Army elec-
with seismic equipment. The pro- tronics command at Fort Mon-
ject was done by geophysicists mouth, N.J.
David E. Willis and Fred Tanis. Butler, the project director, and
But Rune Evaldson, head of the principal investigator William B.
Willow Run Laboratories, where Ribbens, an associate engineer in
the largest share of the Univer- tie electrical engineering depart-

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