1956 U.S. Senate Record Details Congressional Authorization For Cloud Seeding Experiments
12 June 2025 | ZeroGeoengineering.com | “I wish to say that when history is written, I think the work of the Advisory Committee on Weather Control and the value of the experiments on modification of clouds will be considered among the most important results from the tasks authorized by this Congress.” – Mr. Case of South Dakota
Senate Congressional Record below dated July 26, 1956, documents discussion of provisions for the Advisory Committee on Weather Control and cloud seeding “experiments” conducted in the State of South Dakota.
“Congress became interested in weather modification as early as 1948. However it was not until 1953 that through the efforts of your distinguished Senator Francis Case, assisted by Senators Clinton Anderson, of New Mexico, and Warren Magnuson, of Washington, that a bill was finally passed and signed into law creating the Advisory Committee on Weather Control. This bill was signed by President Eisenhower on August 13, 1953, and created an 11-man committee to study and evaluate public and private experiments in weather modification. It is now known as Public Law 256 (67 Stat. 559)…
…the Committee will not proceed under the assumption that weather control, including rainmaking, does ‘work’ or does not ‘work.’ It will aim to examine all the evidence with scholarly care and scientific impartiality.”
“You will note that I have used the term “experiments” in connection with the cloud seeding. The use of this term is intentional to emphasize the fact that there is still much to be learned about cloud seeding and how to determine what results, if any, have been obtained when cloud seeding experiments are conducted over an area.”
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“…account from the Sioux Falls Daily Argus-Leader for July 19, 1956, dealing with experiments in cloud seeding by the use of jet planes, as carried out by the South Dakota Air National Guard;”
“The experiments were carried out in cooperation with the United States Weather Bureau station at Sioux Falls which tracked the seeding operations by radar,”
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“The experiments with the “seeding” of rain clouds by jet airplanes in the Sioux Falls territory are an interesting development in this new field of scientific exploration.
According to the reports, the jets have made several tests under a program suggested by Gov. Joe Foss and Senator Francis Case. Dry ice was sprayed on the clouds and precipitation resulted.”
Link To Congressional Record July 1956 Cloud Seeding
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