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JOINTTASK FCEWE SEVEN 1. ~ttachedherewithfor your informtion nnd retentionare copiesok were conductedau a result of contsndmtion depositedon the dfected atby BRAVO Shot, OperationC~LE, firedfrom a reef apprcximate~ one and one half nauticalmllm southwestof Nam, Bikini Atoll. BRAVO Shot the ma 2. W.ter end soil sampleswere shippedto the Healthand Safety LaboraFOR THE CYM6ANDER: BEST COPY AVAILABLE i uss NICXOUS (DDW9) - copy 49 a
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SUBJECT: Rsporton Soil and Water Sa@15ng ~osti Joint Task Force SE~ the period 5-8 March 1954 for W purposeof collecttigsoil and water samplesu,. measuringlevel of gamtm radbt ion presentat th~se places in connection with BRAVO. The m.issiqconsisthg of the undersignedand a Z+&s~~se Interpreter, sitesand returnedto ~-, w~ere the remainderof the trip to Wwetok was pa formedby PW. llmre follows a detafleddiscussionof the fidngs at each locahrgest native population. Accessto the I.agooawas gahed throughSotih pass. Poor light at the end of the day and numerouscoral heads n66essitatedanchorabout L4fis from LilcLepIsland. nip in was mde by whaleboatthe followti morning. A water samplems taken from a large cisternted from the roof of the CathoU.c rectory, and earth sampleswem tahn from randomspotsabout the hlmd which were unshelteredby trees or othergrowthat approximate~ @OO M 6, March M and showeda mxlmum of 3 AIMmentgens per hourc No variationsfrom this readingwere noted on clothingor tie feet of h~~~b Q Accord@ ~ ac Cout f receivedby BishopFeeney,s.J., the population was g.reutiy excitedby the light and blast wave, the latterwhich reportedly arrivedabcut 30 mkutes subseqmt to the Light flare. Accord@ to BishopFeeney,churchattendancewas greatly stimulatedon the day of the test. consistsof a small heavilywooded isk-nd,surroundedby a he coml reef with heavy surf on three sides. Therebeing no place for landinga vtmleboat,perscmm and equipamt were transferredfrom the whaleboatto the reef by a one man rubber raft. The undersignedtransferredhbelf by ~. me fi~d PrQ~d to be uninhabited,and reported.lyis a sea turtlepreservee Turtle hunterserected several houses,a rain tarrelof which provideda water sample. Earth S.Ml@ s wero gatheredat randomfrom open areas, kcluding one of beach sand above tha high tide mrk, The party was led straightacrossthe islandand back to the 1-: @ area via the beach, in order to verifyits urdnlmbitedstate~ SamplmsWCm
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showeda ~of3mr , however this me not consideredre~ble, she a higher scale showeda I.oworreading. AILUK ATOLL. Tho ship reachedthis atollat approxiantolylW M, 6 b&rch195~; and slowlymoved to an anchorageoff Ailuk Island,the most heavily populated. The lagocnMs not boon swept,and numerouscoral headscnd pinnacbs whdcbcat withotidlff Iculty, and agzin obta$nedvmter samplesfmm the most prod. ant cktorn and soil samplesfrom randomunshclto~d spots. Readingswith the ?OW wcrodotcctod on kre foct or clothingof hiividuals. Samplasand roaaws Woro d. WIT Island. Thls singlocoralisland 5.s alm surroundedby a roof, Lho surf. The ialamlwas foundto bo heavilypopulatedin VIOW of Its size,tho ,otalnumber of people tdng 327, according to the+islandmagistrate. scu aud wtor sampleswero taken as in tho previouslydmcribod manner,at approxbt~ 1300 M, 7 March 1954. Roadingawith tho MX-5 showed mcimum of appbbly 3 with a FOR 27 E was IQ mr~, Tho true flgprowas probablysomwhoro botwoonthe 2. CCNCWSICNS. Low lcvol (lessthan 10 mr~) radiationmeasurawxts with AN@DR 27 E imtrunmts all showedwidow variantreadingson differentscales, and varieda- each othor W exposedto the same radbtton. An AN/’EDRT1-B pxmvcdcompletelyusehss not holdingto zero won after an hourswa-up, and dao showingwidely variantreadingson cliffcront scales. 3* “WxWEN’D ATIC2W. tiding partiesin islandssuch as JEMO and WIT shouk to porsonncland oqui~ont. This will permitLax@ directlyon Iivo coral r~cfs with less clangorof the beat being stovo in. Ships assignedto such missicms shoulddraw such equipncntpriorto departure. k Tho succosafulaccomplishmentof tho missionms greatlyfaclll.tatedby iho interestand enthusiatiof tho Cusxnandingofficer of tho US RENSUW, CIEl ~. H, to the mission, howcvor,tho nEMAyvaluble suggcstims antiassistanceh mluticris of problemsproved tivakble.
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MEMORANDUMFOR: CJTF SEVEN If) March 1954 1. & ccmpliancuwith your oral instructions,tho undersignedvisihodWotja, 1954 for the purposoof obtainingoa.rthand drinldngwater samploa,and of moasuw ing ganm my &so rates,and also chockodtho radiologicalconditionof tho S.S. RCQUE on it~ arrinl at &$XO 7 arch 1954. 2. Tho ftist four atolls woro visitedby MarshallosointorprotorTakushi of tk Wet@ tribo which goos thoro only occasionallyto gather copra. (Thiswas Unknom until after tho tilt. ) X At each atoll,only tho prticlpalinhabitedislandwas visited. At each visitedisland an effortws made to cmposo a roprosontativusoilavcragoby foot of area and ono Inch depth. Wktor esmplosworo colloctcdfrom tho prticip-’ sourcescurrently k Usoo Tho gamma doso ratesaro avoregosfor the inhabited 4. With regardto certainminor discrepanoiosbctwoon the survey methodsusjointly,and when it booamoadfiablo to soparato and survey difforontatolls,no tinm romainodfor discussionof detailsof toohniquos. Inopcmtivo when tho rubberIifo raft was swampedby surf on-tho firstattemptto rangoarc of very dubiousrollability. 6. Tho followingtabulationsunxnarizcsthe atoll survey. S is Sail,W is ATOLL ISMND DATE TIME SAMPLENQ on path to beach. No inhabitants, no water supplyfo~d.
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0.5 mr~, 4 from near Admin on 2 $brch,and anchcrodti Iagoonat 1524 M m 2 Umch; dockod at Ik@ro (Uli.ga ~own as socm as convenient. He vkzstold that the activitywmul.dnit hurt .an~nc, ‘outth-.t$t was undosimbl.s b have it around longerthan necessary. 8. MCOW@JDATI@S: Futurotiits to Erikqb and Maloolapshould noi b attomptcdby UP-1 oxcoptunder conditionsof groatorurgency. mo Writcrfa prior ‘=pcricncoin such operationsis vcry limited,but from his om obscrvaticns plus tho ranarks rado by those better qualifiedto $xlgo,it appearsthat a fair mow.’ of risk is involwdg 9. Especial.1.ynotablowas tho wry cooprativo attitudeof the Navy porsonnc porthg this mission,
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Earth sampleswore colloclmd as follows$ squarofcot to a depth of onc inch~ The nuabor and lmations of the samplm wrc scloctodto roprcscnt * as well as could bo $adgod, an avoraga of #o areas used by tho inhabitants,at%or tho samplesworo mixed in tho carhn. Areasthat wcro WAtcr samplmsworo select cd according to tho principalsourco In currentuso.
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Tho mcmbors of tlm surveyteam wish to expressthoti approciatf.mto ~ assiatancoand cooporation in ccducting tho wrvoy heroinroprtmh @Ph~ -t turned ovor all possiblofacilitiesof hls ship in adcr to assistIn tic that it was possibloto carry out the acsallboat surveysunder oxtrcndy diffic” Ca’lditicms.Sinco most of tho hgocm Mxxs woro not navigabloby a Ih3E,it wa ncccssaryto make lcng beat trips in high seas and land a trickycoral rocfs~ That it was possibl.oto make, withoutmitip, a dctailodsurveyd fivo wldcly scparatodatolls In tho coursoof thrco days with only two boats was largelydu to his efforts. Tho ELIVO Shot cdmld.natod a number of atolls in gom rallycastwaxd dimeti.onfrom BiMd to such an tint that it bocam nccossaryto ovacuatottj nativo populationsfamm Rongolap,AMnginao and Utirik Atollsand tho *taIY sub$xt dctailodradiologicalsurveyof tho atolls to the caatwardof Bik3nl b. The osttition of tho 0-. The Ostimaticnof tho icsidualradiationeffeds of large flclck Roproscntativc,-fiturncdto the atolh to sccurctho
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MOO Two partias in amll boats survoyod 13vhg area on Rongolap M.and and castorn half of Rongclap-Atoll 1130 Two parties in iwmll boats pocccdod fmm the I whioh mu stationedoutsido UtirikAtollami survoycc 1700 @c FX3rty in a smll boat landedon tho outer roof of Bibr Islnndand surveyedtho fsland,the 01. largoislandof Bikar Atoll. ~ TWO partics In andl boats procccdcdfrom tho I whichwas stationod outsideRongorikAtoll and survc; M.wctak Island (~cro the Task Forcots Unitshad boc staticnod)and tho othr importantislandsof the Ate. wh$ch-s stationcd outsido Alin@ao Atoll and survc the hhabitod islandsof tho AtolL 1.400Ono -y in n mall boat uurvoyodtho northwcs orn islandsof RongclapAtoll and onc ~rty roclmckoo roforonco location for futurodooay mxsurcmnt I% Survey team arrived ~wot ok Atoll * DDE. membersof the surveyteam Radiae eck AN/hR-39 -s sclcotcdas tho instmmat to bo used in the conduct f tho survey. zero variationbctmcn tistrummts - any scdo. Upan CrOSS chcc~ throc of it was found tbt all thrco instrumentsgave the saam radin& Thcso surveymotcrswcro subjectto prolongeduso under advcrsoconditions of daaqmcss(to the pointof sca wat cr splashingover than), salt dcws~t efficientlyfor the durationof tho opcrat~m. On th~ final day it was found
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SUBJECT: Radiological Survey of Downwind;itollsContamimtcd by BRAVO that ono survey motor could not bo properly zero adjusted. The four rcmhd.ng Nono of thcso instrumentsworo roquirod. . 6. Tho avorago smd tmdmum ganma doso mtos mcasurodon tho varlouai.slsr waist heightunless othorwiaotidicatod. Tho maximumrudings do not kcludo masurcmonts mado with tho instrumnt next to a contamhtcd surfaco~ readingsaro given h Tabbs 1 and 2 for tho nativnvillagoof RcmgolapItid, appearedto havo s~ghtly loweravoragodoso rates than the romaindorof ttm island. This can perhapsbo ascribedb difforontgcoinotryof tho contaadnabi= and to slightlygrc@cr pmotration into the looso gravelin the nativo village Tho doso rates tisidothe nativohuts appoati to bo almosttho samoas tic doe rato outside. Tho doso rato In tho middlo of tho adlitarybarraaks,tcnta, and cffoct. Tho dose mto foil off rapidlyon tho bowh below tho high tido mrk. Thoro was no ovidoncuof rain washingoff tho cent-tod fmtcrialo ~~ fat on tho whdward SMOS of tho islandsappoarod to bo slightly almm avcragoconLocation Dose Rato (mh) Center of Wlago 280 Nom northom ciatorn 3% Tent, edge of nnin camp
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Weather Station (N end of island) SO IA order to estimatethe rate of decay between8 and lllhrch, the follow @ radiationmmsurements were taken m three days on Ron@ap Island: Roof of cistern(Southernmost) 240 Xm/hr 1.40 Mrfi An area was adaotod 30 yarda inlandfrom the Rongclapcomotcryas a tmas Ing pdnt for future decaymeasuronmnts.lhis area is outlinedwith 2X4e plac a palls. The waist heightreadingwao 21Q mr~ & 1000 hours,11 Umoh 1954 Water sanpleswere collectedfmn the vatcr suppliesof all inhabitei areas. About two quartsof water wure transferredto a polycthlcm bottloat each slto. Theso will be turned ovor to tho Ncw York Oporatims office:AEC f Soil san lcs wore collectedat all inhabitedareas and also at sc=rr uninha.te~ lands, In collectingtho soil samplaaa onc foot by onc foot will bo tumod over to tho New York Oporatim Office,iJilC,for analysis,and Listed b Tablo 3 aro the samplestalomwith tho dose rato moasmd . at waist hdght at ho locatim *CIW they wro tabn. Romgelap (1 mile north of
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wirik (cisternnear church) 9 Mar Utirik (cistern at south of ward side of Bikar Islnnd. The radiationfieldwas MO mr/’hron 9 March 195 at this petit. tion can produceextremelyseriousradiologicalcontaminationover a dis+xux more than 122 Mikl downwindand importantcmtamtnathn about 250 nd16s doy sawdmt north of Rongelapand RongerikAtollsmd probablynot far from a 1 betweem Bikini and Bikar. C. Althoughthe fbut was seriousal RongelapItid locatedat the extremesoutheasttip of the atoll,the c~taminaticmwas abut ten tinx greaterat the north side of the atoll,twentymiles away. d. The ccrkatitfm decreasadby a faotorof about eight owr the damdnd distanceof 50 miles betweenRongelxip and Rongerik~ c. Standardmilitaryfielxlhmsing providesa significantdegreo c field surveywork under rigorousentionmentalconditims. g. A S- DDE with two (2) whale boats is not a completelysatis factorymethod of caducting a broad radiologicalsurveyof the type ju* more of the atollsand of handlinga helicopterand severalsanllboats. 3. Rad. Survey Bikar 6. Summaryof Rad. Survey
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