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Declassified record · U.S. Department of Energy

Report by the Director of Military Application, Subject: Designation of Commander, JTF-3 as Over-All Representative for Overseas Operational Period of Greenhouse

Document type
Aec staff papers/reports; correspondence
Length
4 pages
Open the original scanArchive record OSTI ID 16383050 · public domain

Document text

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

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FOR OVERSEAS OPERATIONAL PERIOD OF GREENHOUSE Report by the Director of Military Application 1. To designate Lt. General Elwood R. Quesada, Commander, Jo~.nt Task Force Three, as ?he Commission representative during the averseas operational period of GREENHOUSE. 2. Tile Commission, on December 23, 1949,* proposed to General Quesada that l-,eaccept the designation as representative for the Commission duping the operational period of GREENHOUSE. This propozal was subject to Joint Chiefs of Staff approval, but General Quesada indicated his personal acceptance of the 3. The Joint Ch:cfs of Staff, having considered the AEC comments (see Appendix to 153/8) on the plan for GREENHOUSE (JCS 1998/13), concurred in zur recommendation that the Task Force Comnande~, (C, JTF-?,) be designated as the representative of the [@C during the overseas operation (see AEC 153/10). The designation was to be made effectj.ve at a time mutually agreeable to the Commission and the Department of Defense. 4. The main body of JTF-3 will depart this co’JntrY for Eniwc!tok during the latter half of February and during early

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March, 1951. General 2.~esada personally expects to arrive at Eniwetok and assume co~naild of Eniw?tok Atoll on or about 1 in his command capacity of exercising ovei”-all military responsibility for the Eniwetok area. of JTF-3, whose mission is to Prepare for it is essential that the Commander, Joint Tast Force Three, be given full authority to act for the Commission. His responsibilities in this case will be analogous to and commensurate w;.:h :hose of AEC Field Managers under current delegations of a’.:.tharityand responsibility. 6. It will be necessary to withdraw temporarily from the Mana~’;r, SFO, the direct operational authority and responsibility for the development of Lhe Eniwctok Proving Ground which the Commission delegated to him on May 13, 1948. This delegation made the office of Santa Fe Directed Operations the Field Agency of the Atomic Energy Commlssi~fi responsible for administering the Commissions interests in tileEniwetok Proving Ground after the dissolution of JTF-’/. i return of authority from the Commander, JTF-3, to the Manager, SFO, will be necessary upon completion of Operation GREENHOUSE, .inlcss pernanent test organization plans have by that time indi:zt?d okher equivalent action. 7. It will be und~r’stood, however, that the Manager, SFO, will ~etain an over-al: interest in the Eniwetok Proving Ground. the Proving Ground by r.cans of or which have a bearing on the resume full responsibility for reports concerning those actions which financially affect the AEC long-range status of the Eniwetok

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this action Will This co~rd~.nation will be ari’anged between the the Commander, JTF-3 and assistance in assuring be g~ven by Dr. Alvin C, Graves, of the Los Alamos Scientific LaboYat9ry, the GREENHOUSE Scientific, Director, and Colonel George F. Sc’hlatter, of the Division of Military ~pplicati~n, who will be on-site as Executive Assistant to Dr. Graves . i?~wl.ingarran~eamts will continue to be made through direct agreement between the Manager, SFO and the Commander, SFO, the Commission will bc advised so that action can be taken. 8. The effective initial and terminal dates f~r this delegation of responsib~lity to Commander, JTF-3 should correspond to the anticipated period of overseas operation of JTF-3. It :S i-no , however, practicable to set a definite terminal date, due to operct~.onal uncertainties inherent in the test program. Tkle initial date, however, should be February 15, 1951. The terminal mati by the Commander, JTF-~, to the proper authority. This date is estimated to be July 1, 1951. 9. The General Co”mrsel nas no legal objection. Both the Manager, SFO and the Co:xmnder, JTF-3 have given informal concurrence to this plan, 10. It is c~ncluded that: through the Department of Defense, of his designation as representative of the Commission during the overseas operational period of GREENHOUSE;

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of administration of JTF-3 should be delegated full the Eniwetok Proving Ground durir,~ c. Current dLrccC responsibilities for the Eniwekok drawn from the Pknager, SFO, except for continuing responz:bility ~’tirfunding the AEC share of maintenance and d. The Xana%er, SFO, si~~uld be kept inforned of action by Commander, JTF-3 affecting the AEC’ either financially 11. That the Atomic Energy Commission: a. &Ero”Ire the delegation of full authority to the Commander, JTF-3, to act for the Commission in all matters pertaining to GF.EENHOUSE and the Eniwetok Proving Ground during the overseas period of OperatLon GREENHOUSE; b. Ap~r;ve dispatch of a memorandum such as that in Appendix A to the Commander, JTF-3, through the Department of Defense, ini’ormlng him of his designation as Commission representative , effective February 15, 1951, and ~utlining of a memorandum such as that in B to the Manager, SFO, apprising him of action in this matter and authorizing him to transfer custody of fissionable material to the Commander, JT’F-3; d. Note that t!~ceffective dates of the delegation of authority in a ab~ve will coincide approximately with the dates of assm–pti~n and relinquishment of command of Eniwetok Atoll by Commander, JTF-3; ~?bility o the ommandek, JTF-~\, for dqcisions 1 “n emergency ment, incl’dding fissionable material; f. PJote that the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy will