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ADMINISTRATIVE MARKENG
Recweer ot one
Ee0. 12085, Section 65100
REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
WD WARS, DateYIAZ..
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409273
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STATEMENT OF LIEUT. GENERAL JOHN E. HULL, COMMANDER, JOINT TASK
.FORCE SEVEN, 4T PRESS CONFERENCE, HQ., USARPAC, FORT SHAFTER, T.
H., 18 MAY 1948,
Joint Task Force Seven has successfully comploted its ..
mission as assigned by the Joint Chicfs of Staff, This mission
was dual in charactcre First,
it was the mission of the Task Forec
to construct an atomic anergy proving ground for the Atomic |
Energy Commission at Eniwotoke Secondly, it was required that we
assist the AEC in the conduct of the first scrics of tests, of
a
atomic weapons during the months of spril and May
The Task Force had comploted the construction of the. proving
I
ground by April, in timc to permit the conduct of the tests as
schedulede
3
In gcencral, this involved the construction and -re-
habilitation of housing and
group and for troops.
4
living facilitics for tho sclentific
Installation of utilities, water,”“power,
and communications was required, Fortunately,we were. abic: “to
use existing structurcs, Ie ft over from the war, mostly ‘quonset ~
Tan
type. buildings, at the proving ground for housing personnel: and
for storage and work enops 3 aftcr repairs, of course... Somer<<
\
equipment was ropairablo, for instance nefrigcrating equipment’,
Considerable savings resulted from these efforts. It was:snoces sary.
to repair alr strips to permit the landing of heavy planes’.
including C-54'g,
5
Be29's and Bel7's, Landing facilitios ‘for, small
wator craft hag to be provided, although carga had to be/
OFT
loaded on lighters from the transport ships.
;
te,
Construction of the actual testing ground involved ‘
: apeelel:
construction for the placement of various scientific. instrumonts
and test cquipment.
eae Te
Thesc tcsts had no kinship ts. the Blklni tests, the,purpose
of which was t» test the effect on naval oquipmant and. other’:
materials as well as animal and marine life. In the words:‘Of |
the directive given to the Commander of Joint Task ForcoOne,. y
the purpose of the Bikini tcst was to dctcrminc "the effects of
atomic cxplosives against naval vessels in order to dppraisa the
strategic implications of atomic bombs including the results. on
naval design and tacticse"
underwatcr test Charlic,.
Wo did not conduct the postponed”
+f?
The tests of Opcratison Sandstone wore literally and:truly
ficld laboratory tests, designed ta detcrmine how the’ hombs “now.
oo
oy.
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under development by the United Statcs would work and to’ determine. |
thoir efficiency. We did just that. We got our answers. .We:
likcd the answorse
These answers belong to the United ‘Statos
po
Governmont and, naturally, arc not for publication. It”‘can “be
said, however, that the bombs workcd. We hava proved the weaponi
de vo'Lopme nt work donc by the Los Alamos Selantific Laboratory
during the psst two years.
This job which we have just completed was begun on 3. April
1947 when thc General 4dvisory Committec of the Atomle Encrgy
Commission econeurred in
the recommendation of the Los Alamos
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