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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

TWX to F a Camm, Subject: Misunderstanding as to Intentions Re: Resumption of Survey Activities at Eniwetok

Dated
Oct 27, 1972
Document type
Correspondence
Length
5 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16364886 · public domain

Document text

Machine-read from the scan, so expect some errors. Lines that couldn’t be read are left out.

Page 1

IJNCLAS FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM ROGER RAY, KWAJALEIN, MI, DID 10/27/72, GIVES ALL PERTINENT INFO WE ARE AWARE OF AT THIS 1. THERE SEEMS TO BE SOME MISUNDERSTANDINGAS. TO OUR INTENTIONS REGARDING RESUMPTION OF SURVEY ACTIVITIES AT ENIWETOK. 11 HAS BEEN AND REMAINS OUR INTENTION TO RESUME SURVEY OPERATIONS AT THE EARLIEST DATE SUPPORT CAPABILITY IS REGENERATED. IN MY JUDGEWENT, WITH THE ADVICE OF THE SITE MANAGERAND OF EARL GILMORE ON-SITE AT ENIwETOK YESTERDAY IT WAS TO BE AT LEAST TWO WEEKS BEFORE THAT CONDITION COULD EXIST. WITH ONE HOUR TO RELEASE OUR RE-ENTRY AIRCRAFT FOR CRITICAL KWAJ OPERATIONS)jl I WAS AWARE OF THE FOLLOWING FACTS~ A. THE ONE DIESEL GENERATOR WHICH HAD BEEN CONSIDERED SERVICE-

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PAGE 2 CAL ADRU 0105 UNCLAS 8’ ABLE HAD DESTROYED ITSELF UPON BEING ENERGIZED. ' AND GE JUDGEMENTWAS THAT THIS MACHINE COULD NOT BE EXPECTED ’ TO SURVIVE MORE THAN A DAY OR IWO OF FULL OPERATION. IT WAS A THEREFORE THE SITE MANAGER’S INTENTION TO AI,IEFPT TO BRING IT B ON LINE FOR LIMITED EMERGENCYPOWER ONLY. THIS ATTEPPT COULD ' NOT TAKE PLACE FOR SEVERAL HOURS AND WAS ESTIMATED TO HAVE NO 1 C. NO QUALIFIED REPAIR PERSONNEL WERE AVAILABLE; AN ELECTRICAL L ENGINEER WAS NEEDED ALSO. D. THE SEAWATER COOLING SYSTEM WAS BADLY IN NEED OF REPAIR I TO SUPPORT EVEN A GOOD GENERATOR IF ONE BECAME AVAILABLE. ’ ,E. NO FRESH WATER PRODUCTION COULD BE SUPPORTED WITH ELECTRICAL ? OUTPUT AND THE DISTILLATION PLANT ITSELF WAS IN SERIOUS DISIF. OUR REQUIREMENT FOR DEHUMIDIFIED SPACE FOR ELECTRONICS :G. SEA CONDITIONS WOULD NOT LIKELY PERMIT SMALL BOAT OPERA-

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* IIONS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. THEREFOREPALUFBO HAD DECIDED IO DEPART ENIWETOK AS SOON AS NECESSARYEQUIPMENTCOULD BE PUT b H. MARINE RESOURCESAT ENIWETOK WERE LESS THAN 50 PERCENT OPERATIONAL. 1. HELICOPTERSUPPORT IF DEPLOYED TO ENIWETOK AS PLANNED \ WOULD IMPOSE AN ADDITIONALPOPULATIONLOAD OF THIRTY WITH A 2. MY DECISION WAS TO WITHDRAW FOR AN INDEFINITEPERIOD WHICH I MIGHT BE ONE OR TWO WEEKS (THEN BELIEVED MlNIrYlufl>AND COULD BE NuCH LONGER. I DIRECTED THAT EQUIPMENT THEREFOREBE STOWED IN CONDITIONTO WITHSTAND TWO MONTHS OF DISUSE AND A.NY WHICH COULD NOT BE SO STOWED BE RETURNED TO KWAJ FOR PROBABLE RETURN CONUS. FROM YOUR CONVERSATIONI SENSE THAT THIS DIRECTIONHAS BEEN INTERPRETEDAS AN ARBITRARYLONG TERM STAND DOWN. 3. UPON MY RETURN TO KWAJALEIN I IMMEDIATELYINITIATEDACTIONS IN AN ATTEMPT TO MAINTAINOUR MOMENTUMAND ASSURE OUR UTILIZATION OF THE NOW COMMITTEDHELICOPTERSUPPORT. TO THAT END I HAVE DISCUSSEDSEVERAL ALTERNATIVESWITH FIRST MARINE AIR WING SUPPORT. I HAVE ALSO OBTASNED AGREEHENTFROM KMR To SUPPORT

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# IA DEPLOYMENTOF CHOPPERS IO KWAJALEIN AS A STAGING LOCATION. II PLAN TO HAVE A FIRM COORDINATED PLAN AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH AS SOON AS I CAN REACH 4. AT THIS TIt’IE WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF FLESHING OUT A PLAN WHICH WILL PERMIT US TO RESUME OPERATIONS AT ENIWETOK ON NOV 8 IF SAMTEC CAN PROVIDE LIFE SUPPORT. OUR TENTATIVE SCHEDULE OF OPERATIONS WILL BE AS FOLLOWS: NOV 8 TO NOV 22 - AIRBORNE RADIOMETRIC SURVEY AND PHOTO MAPPING, NOV 2253 & 20 - MARINE AND AIR SAMPLING; ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF RADIOMETRIC SURVEY DATA. JAN 3 TO COMPLETION - BIOTA AND SOIL SURVEY. 5. CONCURRENTWITH ALL OF THE ABOVE, THE ANALYTICAL AND INTERPRETIVE EFFORTS WILL CONTINUE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION. PLEASE NOTE AT THIS POINT THAT WE HAVE ALREADY COLLECTED AND DISPATCHED A SUBSTANTIAL SAMPLE LOAD. THE MARINE SAl’l’LE COLLECTION COMIvlENCINGAGAIN ON NOV 22 SHOULD PROVIDE A WORKLOADWITHOUT CAVITATION FOR THE LABORATORY CAPABILITY. 6. THE PROGRAW AS OUTLINED RECOGNIZES THAT WE ARE NOW DECOUPLED FROM PALUP AND, TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, FROM PACE. THUS OUR WINDOW FOR FIELD OPERATION IS LESS CONSTRAINED

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. FAND WE CAN ffOW PLAN MORE OPIIMUM SCHEDULING OF OUR IbS’ACf UPON ‘BASE SUPPORT. THE PROGRAM ALSO PUTS THE HAZARDOUS AND MOST *PHYSICALLY DEMANDINGSOIL AND BIOTA PROGRAMAT A TIME WHEN ’ IMPROVING RATHER THAN DETERIORATING WEATHER MAY BE EXPECTED. F THE NET RESULT, WE BELIEVE, WILL BE A PROGRAM WHICH WILL T PRODUCE TIMELY RESULTS CONSISTENT WITH YOUR COMMITMENTSAT A THE SEPT 7 INTERAGENCY MEETING. ’ 7. AS YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE, SAMTEC VANDENBERG, SAMTEC SITE ’ MANAGERENIWETOK AND SAMTEC LIAISON OFFICER HERE ALL AGREE ’ THAT ENIWETOK IS NOT NOW IN SUPPORT STATUS AND THAT NOVEMBER T 8 IS THE EARLIEST CREDIBLE DATE FOR IT TO BECOME SO, OUR “PLANS AS SET FORTH ABOVE ARE OF COURSE CONTINGENT UPON THERE ’ BEING A RELIABLE AND RESPONSIVE SUPPORT BASE. R1S. THIS MESSAGE FULLY CONCURRED TN BY WALTER NERVIK AND TOM