i Qeclassifiecl in Part Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015 07 24 T oe Praia em DaiZy Brief 26 1968 23 Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2015 07 24 50x1 emu I- Deciassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Reiease 2015 07 24 I 4 Soviet Union 5 'France jn 6 Australia An launched from Tyura- 50x1 tam last Friday may have had four sepm -arate re entrv vehicles I 5OX1 50X1 i i 5OX11 'to 530 kilotons We expeCt to have more data on this event in a_few days I The French detonated their first thermonuclear device on 24 August at the Pacific test site and probably are now capable of-developing thermonuclear warheads for their ballistic missile systems The device had a yield of 50X2 about 2 3 megatons I 1 a second thermonuclear explosion may be planned for mid-to late Septem- her The tests are extremely expen- however _and another may not be necessary in View of the success the _French have already had This test series begun on 7 July has included the explosion of three nu- clear devices ranging in yield from 150 These were probably the prototype submarinewlaunched ballis tic missile warhead In the Cabinet's forthcoming re view of Australian defense policy De lifense Minister Fairhall will come down hard against Gorton s fortress Austra- lia concept Fairhall wants to keep at least air and naval units in the Malay- sian and Singapore areas as long as there is trOuble on the Asian mainland Em bassy Canberra believes that the Cabinet 'still works largely by consensus and that Gorton's defense views may yet be brought closer to US interests 50x1 Deciassified in Part Sanitized Copy Approved for Reiease 2015 07 24