was this waite Sass bursting enfcouga the cloud layer trat over Che sea af abvut COO) feet aleitece, 2 DAW rect. ba Remaii. mverinc Rise ca tea or tte white atca was this brilliant ved, fan--nuped Jircaall.. Ax ue rose axwe Ore Cloud sass, it, of course, became 3 ball wich the usual white stwal [he +15 scesed to de ore white thaa usual. The red glow continued to cise and grow larger, ducing waich time ve Noticed che aurora at the lower cishe hsod corner, at abvut five ofclack, It look as a rain cloud does during a beavy sucmer shaver, of as a clacd lo. sometines with the sun shining tarough the edse (light streaks). By this time everyone was awe-stricken because the sight was auch ore than anyone--and particularly, the Coase Cuard personnel--had anticiaared. The fircikell was about two chirds its full size at this point and I expected it to subside as usual. When it kept righe on expanding larger and larger, 1 don’t mind adaitting we were all begicning to woler if it was suing to stop. By this tise about eight to ten sinutes had elapsed, and it looked to us as if the fireball--xnowing the geography of che Pacific, Homsluly, Johnston, and French Frigate Shoals--we judsed the glow to be ar least 500 miles across. It gave us the feeling that we should somehow put cur hans up to stop it from rolling over us like a huge, pink balloun. The aurcra bad stayed about the same condition as before, a little Jdi<sipated by this time, of course. and finally faded our. It drifted off co the west several degrees We judzed the fireball lasted nearly 20 animes. I judged that the reason it spread so far and so rapidly is that being up so high, there was nothing to stop itr. Standing here looking ac the ball as it grew and grew, [ could oc help but wonder how Johnston and the people on it, particularly the barrac«s, could possibly survive such a terrific blast of heat, oot to section the concussion chat sust have follmea. I Sad checsed the recorcers several tices already, as you will sote on the records, we received your sessage “up ome” and, as we received the oea- Sage statics that you were senting ic “bliad,” we dita't caw tar sure shat to chink ac first. 3ut when ,ou dida'e elaborate, ve doped it act taut zou could not ceceive sessases, bur thceghi sou were able to traaosit. ec tear you Losi asd clear "5 x 5," as sell as Su %MO, bur we, tov, were «ff Lee