aT 10 FOOTNOTES FOR CHAPTER V l. Memo for Record by Colonel Karl H. Houghton, Technical Advisor to Comdr, TG 7.4, 28 Apr 54, subj: BRAVO." Section. 2. (SECRET, R/D) "Personnel Overexposures Post- On File in TG 7.4 Classified Document Some confusion existed in the evacuation of Task Force personnel from Rongerik. An account of this, gleaned from official reports, was this: Twenty-four airmen and one warrant officer of the Weather Reporting Element (Provisional) of Task Group 7.4 had been assigned to operate a weather station for JIF SEVEN and a recording radiation rate meter for the New York Operations Office of the AEC on Rongerik. This radiac station was one of several situated in the Pacific as part of; a general fall-out study. This instrument was capable of detecting a maximum activity of 100 mr/hr. Three Army enlisted men assigned to Task Group 7.1 were stationed at Rongerik to operate the ionosphere measurement station for Project 6.6. At 1500 hours on BRAVO Day (1 March 1954), the following message was dispatched to Mr. Breslin of the NYOO at JTF SEVEN on Parry: 1...GR MIKE over 100 CHARLIES —— over 100." Another message to JTF SEVEN at 2015 hours on BRAVO Day stated that: #,,.auto monitor present reading is 100 plus repeat 100 plus, pen off chart and has been in this position since 02502. Request acknowledgement of receipt by Mr. Breslin." However, Mr. Breslin was not on the island. Colonel David Miller, Task Group 7.1, stated that the top range of the instrument was 100 mr. Therefore, at 0015 hours on 2 March (B plus 1), the Rongerik station was notified to keep all personnel inside metal buildings until further notice. At 0830 the same morning, Captain Chrestenson departed for Rongerik in an SA-16 to act as a rad monitor. At Ron- gerik, the aircraft did not land immediately but made passes over the island at 500 feet altitude. The average reading on the AT-15 radiac instruments were 200 mr/hr. Another pass at 250 féet_resulted in a reading of 340 mr/hr. SEVEN and asked if Captain Chrestenson then contacted JTF Rongerik should be evacuated immediately. The message reached JIF SEVEN garbled and Lt Colonel Richard House, JTF SEVEN Rad-Safety Officer, advised them not to evacuate, since Rongerik was in the same contamination level as the USS ESTES and the USS BAIROKO and reading about 300 mr/hr. He stated that this effect should be transient and disappear in a few hours. AFWL/HO Captain qe 2 JO ?