Note by the Secretary, Subject: Special Events for Hardtack

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April 7, 1958 COPY NO. ““- ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION q(3[’i7 SPECIAL SHOTS FOR HARDTACK Note by the Secretary The attached exchange of messageflwith the Commander, connectionwith considerationof AEC 952/39j scheduled for When separated from enclotiuresj handle this document as.,.,,.., OFFIQIAL USE ONLY docu. on i stric de ed 1 th omi Y to 4, Its ans ttal e di re of 1

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This document consists of 5 pages Copy No. of’ 12 Series A PERSONAL AND EYES ONLY TO GENERAL LUEDECKE REFERENCE YOUR 03005ZEBRA COMMISSION P.M. AND BELIEVE IT NOT POSSIBLE TO SECURE SEVEN APRIL WASHINGTON TIME AT EARLIEST AS ALTITUDE SHOTS CAN BE FIRED AT EPG OR MUST AND LOPER MET THIS TO WHETHER: HIGH BE MOVED: IF AT EPG MEED ORANGE BE FIRST, COMMISSIONAND LOPER REQUEST THAT YOU RETAIN FLEXIBILITYAND AVOID ACTION WHICH WOULD MATERIALLY INCREASE POSSIBILITYOF PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF CONTROL PLANS UNTIL YOU CAN BE NOTIFIED OF DECISION, THEY REALIZE THAT THIS PROBABLY WILL DEI.AYFIRINGS IF ULTIMATE DECISION IS TO FIRE AS NOW PLANNED. EVERY EFFORT HAS BEEN MADE TO CRYSTALLIZEDECISION SO YOU COULD BE INFORMEDBY 6 APRIL YOUR TIME, ALL REGRET THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN POSSIBLE, QUERY, COULD YOU INFORM ME BY MONDAY OF YOUR DEFINITIONAS TO WHAT WOULD BE THE NATURE OF THE “SERIOUSEYE DAMAGE” FOR TWO CONDITIONS: (1) AT EXTREME RADIUS OF HAZARD YOU HAVE GIVEN AND IF LOOKING DIRECTLYAT BLAST; (2) AT SAME EXTREME RANGE IF ljOOK~G 5 to 10 DEGREES AWAY FROM ZERO POINT, END REF MA:ADS

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COFS USAF WASHDC AEC PASS TO STARBIRD,. USAF PASS TO AFOAT, FROM LUEDECKE. YOUR MESSAGE 0500302. INFORMATIONHEREIN MAY BE TO YOUR DELIBERATIONSON MONDAY, IN THREE PARTS, OUR CAPP.BILITIESTO CARRY OUT A PLAN OF POSITIVE PROTECT THE NATIVES WITdIN A 435 MILE RADIUS HAS BEEN GREATLY ENHANCED BY PREPARATIONSFOR PROCUREMENTOF EQUIPMENT AND DETAILED EXAMINATIONDURING THE LAST FEW DAYS, THE PLAN APPEARS FEASIB~, ITS 100 PERCENT EFFECTIVENESSCANNOT BE ASSURED BECAUSE WE CANNOT GUARANTEE THE REACTIONS OF EACH A. EACH INDIVIDUAL LSJ.ANDOF EACH ATOLL HAS BEEN P110TOGFAPI!!3J2POPULATEDAREAS LOCATED AND HELICOPTER BOAT IANDINGS PLOTTED, (ON THIS SURVEY, SEIRCH MADE FOR SHIPPING, NONE SIGHTED,) B, EQUIPMENT HAS BEEN SECURED AND IS BEING READIED FOR 35 TEAMS OF TWO TO ‘THREEPERSONS EACH AND TWO WAY COMMUNICATIONSFROM TEAM TO AIRBORNE C, EXPERIENCED PERSONNELBEING WITHDRAWN FROM WEATKER SERVICE AND RADSAFE CONTTMGENT,ALONG WITH OFFICERS FROM T&SICFORCE HEADQUARTERSAND TASK GROUPS TO HEAD TEAMS GOING INTO ATOLLS. TEEY WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY TRUST TERRITORY OFFICIALS IN CASE OF MAJOR AREAS OF POPULATION (7-10),BY TRUST TERRITORY EMl?LOYEESIN OTHER CASES, AND BY INTERPRETERS

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PROVIDED BY TRUST TERRITORY IN THE REMAINDER, PLAN TO HAVE ALL THESE PERSO?\WJELHERE BY T!HURSD.kYFOR TRAI~JINGANJDBRIEFING UNTIL SUNDAY, 13 APRIL. D. BE’TWEEN14 AND 18 APRIL, THE BOXER AND TWO LSDS WITH HELICOPTERSAND SMALL BOATS WOULD PUCE TEAMS ON 35 ATOLL AND ISLAND POPULATIONCENTERS, CONTACT NATIVE CHIEFS AND SUB CHIEFS, BRIEF THEM ON HAZARD AND WORD TO THEIR MAKE THEM RESPONSIBLEFOR GETTING WOULD STAY WITH THEM, AND TEAM .MEMBERS SAME PRECAUTIONS. NATIVES WOULD BE KEEP THEMSELVES SHIELDED FROM PROPER DIRECTION FROM 0100 TO 0500 BEGINNING FOLLOWING SUNDAY, 20 APRIL. BOXER WOULD RETURN BIKINI. LSD9 . WOULD REMAIN IN VICINITy AILINGLAPALAPAND LIKIEP. AFTER SHOT, TEAPt3WOULD BE COLLECTED AND RETURNED, AS CRITICAL FOR THIS DETONATIONAS FOR OTHERS, WB 50 AND”SA 16 AIRCRAFT CAN BE AVAI~B~ FOR SEARCH AS WELL AS P 2 VIS. WE WOULD HOPE TO BE AWARE OF F , INSTRUCTIONSWILL BE PRINTED IN MARSHALLESE AND DISTRIEKJTEDBY TEAMS, G, A HIGHLY QUALIFIED OPHTHMOLOGISTWILL BE AVAILABLE HERE TO INSTRUCT TEAM MEMBERS IN SYMPTOMS AND FIF.STAID TREATME~ OF EYE BURNS, AND MEDICAL TEAMS . WILL BE AVAILABLE TO GO TO ANY AREA WHERE TROUBLE IS REPORTED, OR TO EVACUATE PATIENT HERE IF SUCH ACTION

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11, MY EARLIER ESTIMATE OF SITUATION RELATIVE TO JOHNSTON ISLAND APPEARS REASONABLYACCURATE, THE TEAM VISIT RESULTED lN MORE DETAILED COST ESTIMATE, MORE IMPORTANT pOINTS: A, MONEY SPENT HERE NOT RPT NOT RECOVERABLE, 1.8 B. RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COSTS OF MOVING ALL PROJECTS TO JOHNSTON ESTIMATED ON 1.97 MILLION. D, TIME ESTIMATE, 5 TO 7 MONTKS, E. I HAD NOT RPT NOT KNOWN THAT SAND ISLAND WAS DESIGNATED AS BIRD SAFCTUARY, THIS NOT RPT NOT TROUBLESOME ON JOHNSTON, BUT CLEARANCE ON THIS POINT WOULD BE REQUIRED. III, A, WITH RESPECT TO YOUR QUERY ON SERIOUS EYEBURN IN THE OUTER ZONES, THE INTENT IN OUR STUDY WAS TO IMPLY THAT “SERIOUS”MEANS 50 PERCENT OF RABBITS WOULD HAVE A DEMONSTRABLEBURN IN THE RETINA. IF THE BURN WERE IN THE AREA OF CENTRAL VISION, IT WOULD CONSTITUTEA SERIOUS DISABILITY, POSSIBLY PERMANENT. IF IT WERE 10”PERCENTOFF THE LINE OF CENTRAL VISION, THE IMPAIRMENTWOULD NOT RPT NOT BE SERIOUS AFTER SOME TIME BECAUSE OF ADAPTATION,BUT WOULD BE VERY NOTICEABLE FOR SOME PERIOD. B, MARRLAGE OF TEAK WARHEAD ACCOMPLISHEDTODAY, DECISION TO FIRE ORANGE FIRST WOULD MEAN ONE DAY DELAY FOR EACH DAY UNTIL DECISION REACHED, TODAY

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C , IF llEFIRE EITEER SYSTEM HIRE: I FEEL IT MOST IMPORTANTTHAT THE SHOT BE TEAK FOR REASONS ALREADY COVERED IN MY EARLIER MESSAGES,