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Re: CVB's Name

RD: I should point out that your argument is not with Ed Smock. The excerpt from "Our Book" is attributed: "(Taken from notes of Robert L. Kneedler, Brick Bat 03, Project CAESAR 11 Pacific)"

Re: CVB's Name

John,
In defense of Mr. Robert L. Kneedler, I am submitting (here) more of his notes that would imply that he was there and had first-hand knowledge of how NavFac Centerville Beach and NavFac Pacific Beach were established. His comments about Mr. Miranda being very disturbed that the facility was not being called just “Centerville” (the name of his farm) as they had agreed to suggests that there was an issue here. He points out that they (Brick Bat 03 Project CAESAR 11 Pacific) did not want to go “back to SecNav just for a name change.”

Also, very few people know about NavFac Pac Beach and the Canadian connection.
I tend to believe his documented comments.(use down arrow)
V/R,
Ed Smock

Circa 1958 - How the NavFac at Centerville became known as Centerville Beach
By mistake, the "Beach" in Pacific Beach was mistakenly transposed in Washington D.C. and added to Centerville in California. The name was never revised because it would have required a change in SecNav's “Brick Bat” 03 approval for the establishment of the Facility.

Some might be unaware that the titled words "Brick Bat" was a term used to indicate the Navy's relative priority system. The 03 indicates Project Caesar was the third highest priority in the Navy at that time. The Polaris project held the number 02 position. I never learned, or wasn't cleared to know, which program held the 01 position though I suspect it might have been the U2 program or the "hit a bullet with a bullet" anti missile study which is still being implemented today. (Taken from notes of Robert L. Kneedler Brick Bat 03 Project CAESAR 11 Pacific – Ed Smock)

The property was owned by a dairy farmer named Miranda. He lived with his brother and sister. All were unmarried and live frugally despite their obvious wealth. They had settled the area about sixty years before and named their farm/dairy Centerville. They were disturbed it was being called Centerville Beach. The portion of their property selected for the Facility was the high ground where they drove their cattle when the rest of the property would flood.

The unsuspecting contractor arrived with his grading equipment and proceeded to tear down all the fences surrounding the site. The bulls got in with the heifers and the cows were scattered. The neighbors took glee in telling the Miranda’s that their cows were all over. The contractor was confident that he was authorized to proceed and ignored Miranda's complaints.

It happened that LTJG Jon Lindbergh and I arrived the following week. We found the eighty year old Mr. Miranda at the top of five or six bales of hay, swinging a baling hook at us saying he was going to call Attorney General Brownell whom he knew personally, through political contributions. He said he would ask if US citizens had fewer rights than people in Russia because his land was had been taken without any due process.

When Mr. Miranda came down from the pile I introduced LTJG Lindbergh and he recognized that Jon was the son of Charles. He said he always admired his father and immediately assumed a less angry position. Jon explained that there had been a procedural error and apologized to him. Jon explained that the facility was extremely important to National Defense.

(Tragedy struck the Lindbergh’s in 1932 when their first child, Charles, Jr., was kidnapped. Greatly distressed by the loss of their child and the sensational publicity it was given, they sought privacy in England and, later, France. Charles and Anne had five more children, Jon, Land, Anne, Scott, and Reeve. – (Ed Smock) http://www.lindberghfoundation.org/history/calbio.html)

I stated that although access to the completed facility would not be allowable, a provision could be made for his cows to occupy the high ground when bad weather dictated. Mr. Miranda as head of his family strictly controlled all aspects of his family finances. His sister cooked for both brothers. Miranda's revealed his only extravagance was occasional ocean cruises while leaving his brother and sister to remain home to mind the dairy.
(Taken from notes of Robert L. Kneedler Brick Bat 03 Project CAESAR 11 Pacific – Ed Smock)

Circa 1958 – NavFac Pacific Beach – Canadian connection
The proposed Facility was to be built on a former military site adjacent to an Indian reservation Moclips, WA. An additional site was to be built on Vancouver Island, Canada. However, a change in Canadian prime ministers was made to one that would not allow any incursion by US Navy personnel in Canada.

This dictated that additional engineering would be required to turn Pacific Beach into a site capable of incorporating the cancelled Canadian site plans. A redesign was the order of the day. (Taken from notes of Robert L. Kneedler Brick Bat 03 Project CAESAR 11 Pacific – Ed Smock)

Re: CVB's Name

My BS flag is still flying...

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