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LIMITED OFFICIAL _USE MARCH 18 
WILL MAKE FOLLOWING STATEMENT US PRESS EARLY FRIDAY MORNING ; . LOCAL TIME IN VIEW UPI NEWS .BREAK FRANKFURT DATEINE RESULTING SPECULATIVE AND INACCURATE REPORTS . QUOTE THE UNDERSEA VESSEL, ALVIN, MADE CONTACT ON MARCH 16TH WITH AN 03JECT LYING IN 2,500 FEET OF WATER APPROXIMATELY FIVE MILES OFF SHORE NEAR PALOMARES. MILITARY EXPERTS HAVE EVALUATED U1JDERWATER PHOTOGR.l\PHS TAKEN OF THE OBJECT AND BELIEVE IT TO BE THE MISSING NUCLEAR WEAPON. ACTIONS ARE BEING TAKEN TO RECOVER THE DEVICE. THE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW A PARACHUTE ATTACHED TO AN OBJECT WITH IS SIMILAR I~ SIZE AND SHAPE TO THE MISSING NUCLEAR WEAPON. THE PARACHUTE, ' HOWEVER, IS COVERING PART OF THE OBJECT PREVENTING POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION. EXPERTS WHO HAVE ~XA~INED THE PHOTOGRAPHS INDICATE THAT THE CASING APPEARS TO BE INTACT, THEREBY PRECLUDING ANY RADIO­ACTIVE CONTAMINATION IN THE WATER. UNQUOTE. DUKE BT 

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E.O. l2958; Sec. 3.5 
. State Dept. Guid i es ,By.~' ARA; . t ~--<3"..-0J