,
“8

Ill

LAL

13 officers and 45 airmen, returned from Kirtland Air Force Base to

Hickam for the commencement of several rehearsals involving the TEAK
and ORANGE shots,

C.

OrekKATION NEWSREEL (JOHNSTON ISLAND)

Among the first concrete announcements, as early as June 1957, were
indications that the HARDTACK test series would include tne tasting of

two devices at high altitudes. in

.-» planned to be fired

at 100,000 feet; enotherSie 10 an ultra Ligh altitude test,
was to be fired at 250,000feet.

As the planning for HARDTACK reached?

its later stages, these devices were scheduled tentatively for firing
in late April end early May 1958 in the Eniwetok Proving Ground.

The

very high altitude test became known as ORANGE; the ultra high altitude
test was designated TEAK.
In early April 1958, however, the Department of Defense and the
Atomic snergy Commission handed down a decision that, because of the
possible retinal burn hazards associated with the devices and because
of possible political implications, these two events would be conducted
at Johnston Island in a series called Operation NEWSReEL.

The planned

date for the firing of the first devicé was 1 August 1958,

The opera-

tional ohase of NewSnekL was expected to reach completion about 1 September 1958, followed by a roll-up phase,

FM

The operation and control of

rte
a
4

Select target paragraph3