SECTION
4
PREPARATION FOR CONDUCT OF THE OPERATION
With the completion of the basic plan (JCS 1795/6) and its submission to the Joint
Chiefs of Staff on 15 October 1947, Op~ration Sandstone passed into its second phase .
At the daily staff meeting on 15 October 1947 General Hull instructed the staff to proceed on the assumption that the Joint Chiefs would approve the paper, their actions to be
taken on the basis of a strict military classification of “SECRET” or “Top SECRET’”x”
This was a period of particular difficulty for the staff and for Task Group Commanders who shortly after 15 October 1947 set about the organization of their units. Procurement of personnel, equipment and material and the drafting of orders all had to be accomplished under these security restrictions, thereby doubling and tripling the complications of
their tasks. The international situation at this time stayed the release of a public announcement which had been planned for early issue.” Until this statement could be made, the mere
mention of the operation was highly classified.
On the following day General Hull was informally advised that the Joint Chiefs of
Staff had agreed to approve the paper and that formal approval would be given on 18
October 1947. This proved to be the case.
At the staff meeting of 17 October 1947, General Hull reviewed the situation for the
stafi, stating that the immediate steps to be taken were:
1. Reconnaissance of the site.
2. Development and completion of the details of the plan.
At the same time General Hull announced that he would depart Washington for the
forward area on 20 October 1947 with a side trip to the AEC Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory for further fami~iarization with the scientific aspects of the operation. On this trip
General Hull was accompanied by Captain Russel, Dr. Froman, Dr. Graves, Deputy Scientific Director, Captain Tom B. Hill (Representing Admiral Parsons) and Colonel Cooney.
At Oahu he was joined by General Kepner, Admiral Denebrink and Colonel Tulley and in
this company proceeded to the site.
While at Oahu, General Hull held various conferences. Lt. Colonel Starbird had preceded General Hull to Oahu to establish a forward echelon of the Joint Task Force Headquarters. It was necessary to orient this echelon as to the background and scope of the
operation. Conferences were held with the Commander in Chief, Pacific and Commander
in Chief, Pacific Fleet; the Commander of the 7th Air Force and with the Commander, Pacific Division, Air Transport Command, to establish procedures on shipping and support of
the operation. The three Armed Services had by this time issued directives that support
of the operation would be given second highest priority. In the case of the Army and Navy
this priority was second only to occupation, and in the Air Forces the priority was second
only to the 55-group program.
At this time agreement was reached with the 7th Air Force on the use of an Engineer
Aviation unit under command of Colonel Keith Barney to construct the establishment to
house the Air Task Group at Kwajalein.
LO Daily
Record,
Joint Task Forceseven.
11see chaDterg for more detailed discussion.
33