Plannin§ and Programming
65
unfinished memos lay on the desks in some buildings, while landing craft
sat rusting where they had been pulled from the water. Everywhere,
nature in the form of impenetrable brush, termite burrows, rot, and
rust was reclaiming the atoll from the ruins of an advanced
rechnology.©:78 What many had not believed when the nuclear test
moratorium began in 1958 was an obvious fact in 1972—nuclear weapons
Atoll. —
resting had ended at Enewetak
Nuclear testing had left its unmistakable mark. The preliminary
radiological survey found potentially significant radiation hazards on the
and Runit
islands of Bokombako (Belle), Enjebi (Janet), Aomon (Sally),
(Yvonne). More detailed surveys would be required to identify locations
and to determine degrees of contamination. More study and planning
would be necessary to develop removal and disposal procedures for the
contaminated soil and debris.?
PACIFIC CRATERING EXPERIMENT: 1971 - 1972
Preparation for PACE had been underwayat Enewetak for almost a year
prior to AEC’s preliminary radiological survey in May 1972. PACE wasa
DNA-funded program conducted by the U.S. Air Force Weapons
Laboratory (AFWL) at Enewetak Atoll from June 197I to October 1972.
The program had twobasic objectives: (1) PACE I, to define the geology,
geophysics, and material properties of the near subsurface (0-100m depth)
of the atoll rim; and (2) PACE II, to conducta series of high explosive
cratering experiments, ranging from 1,000 pounds to 500 tons, to establish
nuclear explosive/high explosive equivalence for cratering and ground
motions.!0 The PACE operations were preceded by two separate
radiological surveys, neither of which indicated any serious hazards, and
they were supported by a radiological safety program.!! Measurements
during the PACE program indicated no significant radiation hazard, no
need to decontaminate equipment, and no requirement for radiological
protective clothing or equipment. Nevertheless, bioassay samples were
taken as an added precaution, and none showed any indication of
plutonium uptake. !2,13
AFWLpersonnel drilled the first test hole in the rim of the Cactus
Crater on Runit on 30 September 197]. They continued drilling holes and
digging trenches on Runit for the next 8 months before the preliminary
AEC radialogical survey began in May 1972. During the same period,
researchers from the Enewetak Marine Biological Laboratory (EMBL), an
AEC contractor, were camped on the Cactus Crater rim and conducting
biological surveys around Runit using no special protective clothing.