Archive description
The official reports of Operation Crossroads emphasize the joint nature of the enterprise. The two tests of this operation were carried out at Bikini by the united efforts of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, and many of their component parts. The intent of this chapter is to describe, primarily, the part played by the Manhattan District and by its personnel in the conduct of the tests, and in numerous activities which preceded and accompanied them.
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and ?roperly so. The two tests of thia operation v<ere carried out at ~nd maq of their oornponent parts 1 Joint Task Foroe one, t.he iageno1 b()th in ita nature and in its i ntent. The intent. or this ohapt~r i• by its. rsonnel in the conduct or the teste. nr..d in the numero\le \act• the Ilanhattan District mstory • ooh intent is. pl"Op$·r and deair~ble.t
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TABU OF CONTEWTS 2. Earl y Studies and Sug&esti one . ?artioip&t1cm by the ilanhattan District. llaasurement Seo ti on. Sae ti on.
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ot atolllio bom.b• in reapeot to naval de11gn. ancl tactics. At the said that it a ttut :iost publiol1 dvert1secl eorot teat ever
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1'h• in obje<Jt of eubmittin the opeotacaulu a>haee1 of the op•n.tton. to th• glare ot publicity. d••pite the seourlty risks which Yet publio apprO'V'al ot the operation beforehand wa• by no =-ana unantmoue. A Gallup Poll in p~il 1946 showed 41 percent ot test progu at that ti e,. 'id.th 18 ,t>t>Foent hold1ng no opinion. on the tiona by theoretical ?h191o1eta alone , without arr; turther bom.b teata.
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prel1in1nuy statement by the Evaluation Botu•<i ot the Joint Chief• John von lfeumarm, to oa.rry on suoh studies , which had been b~gun soale, with hi h explosiv • in s~ ll quantitiea 1 Aa tat d i
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lt i a ?U·t1n•m to not• that the thintcing ot tho Uanhattu U' some nations should. oont1nu• to look with dietavor on t:h• use Auguet 1946, d the publio nnou:no nta which followed , many
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to piok up thia question and suggea't m.ana tor ita deteJ*mi tion. a 1uat the giant naval shipa . I oan think ot no better use fo~ the control ot th• Joint Ohiefe ot Statt ~cl that all re lat d ..rt.a detonat d i the air :nd anothH' i.a the • t 11 1 that a few n:.odern
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Joint Chieta ot Staff ,. were dir~cted. , on 10 Uovember 1945; to pre• Xhio plan. aooo i'.>&n1ed by a detailed ad:m1.n1atrat1 ire and technic•l th• prel1udne.r1 apprcval ot the. Joint Chiete ot Staff, and t h u ot ot th$ oporation a a whole WI.I l ter indioated by the J&Saage ot ves~el1 in the target rra~ot t ho t eeta.
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tiona ol atomio bomba inolud1ng the result• on naval dseign. and the teet will be to determine th$ e-t.f•-ot• ot atomio oxploaivu ot inod•rn naval and. ;r~rehan't voeeela •ui.tably disposecl to give a atomio exploaivea ap. i~t uound and air target• and to aequix-e 1te exieteuce waa to continue tor 9 montn. and 21 days . until ita d11 olution on l i1ov b r 1946. On 12 January 194e it misoion
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the LeJ.fay Suboo ttoo. in ita deliberationa prior "to $ubmi Bion detailed con.aider tion to the queetion of who ahould be de .ignatod. ot the act1'1it1ea involved in th• planning and. e:xeoution ot the mieaion ltt>uld be principally within the pr oYinc• ot the Jlavy, the aeleete • in view ot hia experiexioe s OOlllllla1Jder of' varioue destr oyer poaition inee November 194.5 aa Deputy ChW or val ()per tions. reaponsibllitiea to hia principal s•1atanta. especiall y th• D puty 'lask FoTee Commander tor Technical Direction. the Deputy ask ?ore•
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operat-'lon from. ita inception, not only by virtue of hi a ssrvice y Suboo.tn:nittee. and aa A l'Aor:ibev of the ~ ilitary Advisory Board to the Oftio¢r-in~harg• of the Atomio ot the Rito•hi.ma bomb, atte~ having peraonall y co:r..plet ed the fi 1 Direotci- of Ship t t.erial) directing 11 t clinical aetivities of the feehnical Acbdni tratora
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42. ooo personueli 242 shipsJ 156 airplanea 1 4 televieion tr .nsThe site selected. for the taste b:," Joint l'ask Force One:, Bikini iAbabitanta ., but muoh had to bo done. in. propa.rati on of: the harbor b1 in preparation for the teets s aud in setting up and t~sti n~ th• A full dreaa rehearGal f or t he first t est vme held on nQue1Jn d t on ated a t p~r O x1+.'1ately t he vla..nn d lti t ude, i:ntt lt positi on
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the number ot veesela sunk by ..oh. 1i•verth•h•••- the nw:ibeit of teet deep),. In a target array et 65 ahipa. Nine 1hip• w.n sunk.,
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planning an atomic bo attaok on Jaf)anes• leet unit e at Truk in planning Test B. t undei"Water explosion. ot th& Loa Ala111oa Laboratory, alli ot~r repreaent tives, it contri tell valuable advic• in the prinoi l oonfe~noea , including to the Cftioer-in..C or the ·tome Bomb Project •• or ated on Di triot. Ita ~iembership compris
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•s. otivitioa Arter Creation. •ot JTF- 1. Atter the to 1 iatriot saieted Joint. 1
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evidont that th• writer ot thAJ Teohniod Report . restricted ha ua e · part tlu'oug,hout the p lannin~ st& gee of t he project . a will be ~diochemi~try ot Bomb Prcdueta Meaeurementa of Delay d G Person in Ohare
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*Bomb A waa handed over by tbe 013B Group to Taak Group l,S under ~ood mechanioal control; developing a m.tbod of obtaining the data needed i n the iamm& ~l"!ly•t iming ethod. Qf evaluating the remotely detonating the bomb at t he d.edred i nstan°' and with. n<>
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danger o£ premature detonation. "(a) Function.. Thia Group e r-esponai ble ror the proteotion atomio bomb and to help enable per OJWel to r ~urn a£ely to the target area a~ the earlieet poeaible moment. !n Addition the Group in order to ~stimate the •ffeotiveneaa of the explosion in prod.uoing ir , water. and caterlal , on tu get and ope~tional who had servi d a Chi et of t he lianhattan .EngineoJ" viatrie t dloal Section who e. on l e vo ot baurnc f ro th Univ l" it1 of Rooh at r .
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'*(cl Aottvttie,. Thia Gronp . berth«!d pri noi lly on the were oolleoted and their radi oaotiTity moasured . t raining enoufth radioactivity monitors . The pe•k etr en~h of the group '<taa approxilllAtctly 350, but ot t his group only 150 :re available on aey one day for monitoring duty in olearing t arget acti n'tiee in which the Group wna cni:so.ged." Report of Joint tas k Foroe On•. ~r1et though i t is, 1ndio t a that re £'or -th$ '?lost part minor w re duo cally to difforeneas of
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nioal Dir i9ct or 0£ Joint l'a k Force One. l n- o:n. of ·tbc .,xoerpt.e trom t he Teolmi oal Re pO'rt quot ed a bove a.a., liollowa1) , which f ollows. i n Pe.:ragraph a herein,. he f act s eelfem to bei t ha t Dr . Sawyer ha4 not been direetly connected with t he that Dr. nradbury r e c ogni zed that the teohn l o al part of the operat t,on aho~l d in l arge a;.easuro ho oo,::;,trolled by the Loa .Alamos Labor t ory. Dr. ilawyttr on 9 Jan~ ry l 94o t o aeeopt t he position ot Auooiat
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Sawyer beoam& Tachni~al Direotor of tha Operation. re iorting to the peraounel took part in Operation Cros ro da whil• serving in dual 1'h• cooperatiYe spirit ot 11 ooneer ned in oarryin Qut the operation a . Pr~paraticna in tho United Statsa. • alter nat• • Cooper tioa witn. d rtieipation iu. Op r ati n
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been ta.king an activ. part 1n the pre parati one tor the O!)arat1on. In th• latter part or 1945, in antici pation of ~~ttan .first teat or the atolSliG bomb at Alamogordo, ew rlco. The pan bomb loading pit in the Qase ot th• &ir drop ( eat Able) , and to t he (3) Providin all necessary .t.'usinis and firing qt.d pment ;
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ogerat• a aolenoid control on r eeipt or • select d ti 1gnalJ (6) a1uring tho ott'h1onoy ot nuolear reaction ors Loa Alamoa na invited to send representative• to 1a hington b•twe•n (S and 10 January 1946 for a aor1 a ot orpnicing and 1natru• tull r••ponsibility fop oooJ'clinat1ng the inatrumentatioa plan and Sawyer • • d by Dr. Bradbury~ with the conourr 4 ce of General During these oont'erenooa the necessity for ~dequate and Limiediate
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air t r ansportation or Loa Alautoe personnel ~~thi4 the contir.ental lim1t• of the United St tea, ~nd l ater to the t arget area• whioh had Santa Fe arvl H.ail ton Field• California, via Long Heaah, arid aVttrseaa Loe. Ala:moa over1eas arty. Because ot t firm intention ot maey ot or n1~&t1on ot the aeparat• 8- Div1a1on a the i nevitable result. The attaohe or gani sation obar ta ahow the oonati tut1on ot $&Ob Loa Al oa uoup and the general ture ot ita reapons 1bilit1ea••of the Aa1.mbl7 Seotion as ot 6 r oh 194 · and ot the ~ aa ureme.n~ a bo-ve J items (6 ) atld (7) were the rea po i bility of the i· adi oaot1vity
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ot many part• ot the Manhattan Distriot. inapeotion and conversion. Du.ring the period 15 to 19 h.ttuu7. an inapeoted thea• ships and wrote speoifioationa tor neoeaaaey alt.ea-aDedgn and Produot1<>n personnel ia:t the Navy Ship 1ard, Terminal laland• Calitorni., niade possible the oonrgletioa ot planning and. were held. in ashingtou between 13 u d 15 •bl'UllJ7 1946. Proje.ot Y pouibl• am:>at1t"1tion ot a new teat, later terlllltd: "Det•otor•. tor whet her r~et Buer or Teat Deteotor should be o ondu~ted , it v<a•
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A1 a uc equent develop ent; th e JJ puty 'aelc ~ r ce Co nder f or tor •o•t Dot otor oon urr entl y nt h pr epar ~t i on a for oat Jaker. the in the >r pa.ra'liiows f or Teat Dot otor . ?o learn at f ir t hand t~ o~~diti on a under whioh tho Cr oesroa da perwonnel would work and to verify t h:e ~doqua o y of planned. f oilitha so f ar- 1u the stat• or cont ructi on p rudttsd, an advanoe 1nep•otion party a• or gan i~ed and sent on 17 Mor ch 194$ by air to i nspeot t On 22 roh l~ , t hree daya befor e the ohedule4 sailing ot or the laboratory abi pe t ermi l I sla 3b1p Y&r • d • t ely six eke . Advanta Qe a taken of this ela t o postpo
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to 15 y, and thia unquestionably influenced the f'tiu\.l deciaion as to ltb.ethv t he aeoond test ot the operation wa• to be 'l'est, DeWith additional tinle available attor, the ottieial del 1 ot the pranicable atte"' oaoh shot. Va,-iou• sohomea to aToid oompliaatiopa incident to the use ~ sample• were eonaidered and disoardedt Sventually. 1t waa concluded land Sound. before saili.ng. 'l'h$ Navy Bureau of Shipe. :releaasd eight 1'a.sk Foroe One tor the primary purpose 0£ collecting water samples and tor later use in rad1ologioal s urvey ot Bikini L~ goon.
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