TLS, one page, 8.5 x 11, no date. Letter to Neal Allen, recounting his reaction to the tragic Apollo 1 fire, in part: “It is true that I hated the hatch on the capsule of Apollo 1. As far as I was concerned it should have been built with a quick opening explosive mechanism that would have opened in an emergency…The hatch was slow to open because it was manually operated. This became painfully evident in the fire. I was so concerned that I told Gus before the launch test that it would take a couple of minutes to open the hatch and if he had a problem, even a small one, to get out of the cabin until it was cleared up…After the fire it was learned that the hatch would not open and the the three men were found piled at the door…Their suits had protected them from the fire. No burns of any consequence. They were asphyxiated from the fumes…It was horrible to lose my friends. I will never forget the capsule and what it looked like inside after the fire.” In fine condition.
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