|
35
526-1972
Description and History: !
bs were dropped on the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,
bom by accelerating the end of World War II.
there i" the use of nuclear weapons already had modified military
whi
of war, they still needed further study and development if their
conePOS ities were to be realized. Interest in their development was
un edbY the scientific community and the general public as well as the
military establishment.
;
op:
On 10 November 1945, a subcommittee of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
existing and
(JCS) began developing detailed plans for a series of tests of
wly developed nuclear weapons. The tests were to be conducted under
n y carefully controlled conditions and as a matter of primary concern,
ore to explore the effects of atomic explosions on naval vessels. The
subcommittee proposed a program to be headed by Vice Admiral William
H. P. Blandy, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Special Weapons. The
program was accepted by the JCS, generally as proposed, on 28 December
1945 and approved by President Truman on 10 January 1946. The organi-
zation for conducting the program wasidentified as Joint Task Force One
UTF-1).>!
oe
,
An important objective of the program was to obtain and prepare an
appropriate test site. Locations in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean had
been considered even before the Task Force cameinto existence. The
basic site requirements werethat:
It be under the control of the United States.
a.
b. The area be uninbabited or subject to evacuation without imposition
of unnecessary hardship on a large number of inhabitants.
It be within 1,000 miles of the nearest B-29 aircraft base, as it was
c.
d.
e.
=r ge
f.
expected that one test nuclear device was to be delivered byair.
It be free from storms and extremecold.
It have a protected harbor at least 6 miles in diameter thereby being
large enough to accommodate both target and supportvessels.
It be away from cities or other population concentrations.
The local winds be predictably uniformfrom sea level to 60,000feet.
The water currents also be predictable and not adjacent to inhabited
shorelines, shipping lanes, and fishing areas so as to avoid
contaminating populaces and their food supplies.52.53
Several atolls in the Marshall Islands met all of these requirements to a
satisfactory extent. The Marshalls had been captured from the Japanese
and, by Presidential authority, were under the control of the U.S. Navy
military government.