DEVERMTEED 10 BE aw ee ADMINISTRATIVE MARKING REPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES | — E.0. 12065, Section es =e / Z_ sists of By) BARS y pate t/2 22. -- pages No. .-th. OF ----2- Copies, Series -44__ for mall water craft had to be provided, although cargo had to be oy / offmloated on lighters from the tranaport ships. Construetion of the actual testing ground involved especial construction for the placement of various soientific inatruments and test equipment. These tects had no kinship to the Bikini tests, the purpose of which was to teet the effect on naval equipment and other materials as well as animal ant marine life. In the words of the directive given to the Commander of Joint Task Force One, the purpose of the Bikini test wae to ‘determine "the effects of atonic explosives against naval vessels in order te appraiee the atrategio implications of atomie bomde including the results on naval design and tactica.* ve did not conduct the postponed underwater teat Charlie. ' The Cests of Operation Sandetone were literally and truly field laboratory tests, designed to determine how the bombe now under development by the United States would work and te determine their efficienay. dust that. We got our answers. We liked the answers. We did ‘These anwers belong to the United States Government and, naturally, are not for publi- Cations It can be sald, however, that the bombs worked. We have preved the weapon-development work done ty the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory during the past two years. Thie jed which we have Just completed was begun on 3 April 1947 when j the General Advisory Committes of the Atomic Energy Commission concurred in the recomaendation of the Les Alamos Scientific Laboratory that tasts of certain new designs of weapons de conducted in 1948. The Commiesion requested and received the President's approval to go ahead with the : prograx in June, 1947. ~ Sree foe errs -2- ; o ;