Tn preparation for operation CASTLE, nuwnerous discussions were held with the Department of the Wavy (Op-36) and the Task Force in an effort to determine the extent of the new danger area which would include Bikini. In the course of the discussions it was decided to request CINCPAC, waicn has security responsibility for tne area, to recommend the limits of the danger area, There is no record of the discussions leading to the decision to request CLIiCPAC for recommendations for the boundaries of the danger area, On December 29, 1952, a telephone call was received from Op-36 which indicated that CICPAC had recormended as new boundaries for the enlarged darger area 160935! + 166928! ard 10°15! - 12°45', (See Memo for Record of the corversetion, Enclosure 8). On January 5, 1953, the Chief of Naval Operations forwarded for- mally to the Division of Military Application CI:CPAC's recommen- dations (Enclosure 9) and recomended that ADC take necessary steps with the State Department to establish a closed area around Bikini, In the same letter, DNA was requested to inform the Chief of Naval Operations as to the date the danzer area snould become effective. Ina letter dated March 31, 1953 to the C10 (Enclosure 10), Aa&C informed CNO that the AEC would taxe the necessary steps at the approoriate time to have Bikini closed and would fix a date to establish a danger area, In the same letter, the C0 was informed that we recormended the eastern boundary of the danger area be moved westward from the line 166928 east longitude to the line 146916! east longitude, This revision of CI:CPAC's recomendations for the proposed danser area was based on information from the Department of Interior (Enclogare 11) which stated that Ailingnae Atoll was essential to the natives of Ronselap for their subsistence inastuch es they used the area for fisning and harvesting breadfruit, There is no official record of the discussions which transpired between AX staff and the JTF-132 staff prior to aoproving the extert of the danger area, but it is known that responsible staff nerbers of JTF-132 and SFr00 concurred informally in the prososed danger area which excluded Ailingnae Atoll, A consiceration in establishing the danger area was to fix the boundaries so as mt to include unnecessarily any land areas that were inhabited by natives, If the danger area had included such inhabited atolls as Rongelep and Utirik it would have required that the natives of those atolls be evacuated and that a vermanent home be found for then elsewhere. Since the Derartment of the Interior was mot sympathetic to removing the natives, having