= a APPENDIX "A" BACKGROUND 1. In the fall of 1952 a number of "eye-witness accounts" which appeared in the press throughout the country indicated that an atomic weapon test of considerable magnitude had occurred. Some of the letters purported to give a description of the effects of the test. In the wake of these “eye-witness accounts" considerable criticism of the Atomic Energy Commission and of Joint Task Force 132 appeared in the press, There was specific criticism of the fact that postal censorship of personal mail had not been established for personnel assigned to the Task Force at Eniwetok Atoll. 2, A digest of editorials appearing in the press following the outbreak of the letter-writing, which was prepared by the Director of Information Services and circulated as AEC 612/2, indicated that of twenty such editorials reviewed, fourteen took a position that was critical of the security maintained, assuming the letters to be breaches of security, and implied that the Atomic Energy Commission was responsible, 3. The Security plan for Operation IVY following a pattern established at the preceding Pacific Proving Ground Tests in 1948 and 1951, specifically contained @ provision that there was to be no censorship of personal mail; rather, all ysersonnel were urged to practice voluntary censorship. The public informa- tion plan for Operation IVY, as approved by the Commission, indicated that only a brief announcement of the conclusion of test activities would be made following the completion of the tests, The Commission in establishing the public -4 - information Appendix "A" the