RADIOLOGICAL CLEANUP OF ENEWETAK ATOLL 44 é Description and History: 1526-1972 45 The general plan proposed was, as stated earlier, the development of Medren (also called Parry) as the base for laboratory, scientific, and administrative operations, and for the quarters of construction personnel, with the military being housed on Enewetak Island. An important part of the plan was that all possible support functions, including engineering design, prefabrication, procurement, and accounting, would be performed in the United States. The purpose in doing this was to increase productivity, reduce the cost of maintaining personnel living away from their homes, and speed up the procurement of necessary equipment and : : re Pt sag — Oe eee . neighboring islands, and the scientific and technical facilities were to be built on the test islands and on islands appropriate for measurement and observation.’8 A section of Enewetak Island as it appeared in full operation is shown in Figure 1-42. This was the military headquarters and residence island. Medren, at a similar phase, appears in Vigure 1-43. This island served as the headquarters and residence for civilian: scientists and contractors. Construction camps on Lidilbut (Gene) and Enjebi are shown in Figures 1-44 and I-45. OPERATION GREENHOUSE: APRIL-MAY 1951 On 3 January 1950, President Truman announcedthat the decision had been made to develop the hydrogen or thermonuclear bomb, and that the AEC had been directed to continue to work on all forms of nuclear weapons, including the H-bomb. In June of the same year, the Korean conflict began. Both events, though unrelated, created the need for more and faster-paced tests. Enewetak was the obvious place for testing the Hbomb, once developed, but Enewetak could not be expected to accommodateall of the test operations that now loomed in the immediate future. In order to ease this situation, the AEC decided to establish a proving ground in the continental United States which could be used for tests of weapons of nominal yield, The site selected was part of the Las ee we ee oe wey we ‘ -_ ee materials. Construction camps were to be developed on the test or Vegas Bombing and Gunnery Range in southeastern Nevada. This became the Nevada Proving Ground, later the Nevada TestSite. In 1951, at the time that the next series of tests in the Pacific was to be conducted, the H-bomb was still under development. However, some devices related fo thermonuclear bombs were tested in Operation Greenhouse. This operation consisted of four tests (Dog, Easy, George, and Item) conducted during April and May 195]. The only yield published was that of Easy—47 KT. All were tower shots, 79 One of the important ‘‘nuclear weaponseffects’’ tests carried out during this series measured the effect of blast on military and industrial facilities.