' CASTLE Statement A > ‘Approved for public release, ~ OL ro ATSJfey Zs j Distribution unlimited [¢ 46925 November 6, 1980 Robert H. Miller, Ph. D General Electric Company 7800 Marble Ave. N.E. - Suite No. 5 Albuquerque, New Mexico 87110 Dear Bob, I have reviewed The General Electric Company TEMPO report: "CASTLE - A report of DOD participation". Although this is a review of reports prepared in 1954, it is comprehensive in its presentation. Like all "Monday Morning Quarterbacks", the report tends to emphasize problems and mistakes rather than accomplishments. I disagree with many interpretations of radiological safety problems highlighted in the report and the general tone of the report that the operation was a mess. Unfortunately, at the time, I stated that CASTLE was a nightmare of radiological safety operations. Now, some 25 years later I have seen many nightmares in initial operations and now have the conclusion that CASTLE was a challenge and that we did a good job in protecting 17,000 personnel. For all of the problems we encountered,the best decision that was made during the CASTLE-BRAVO operation was to move the Task Force back to Enewetak before initiating recovery operations. By this action, the Task Force waited for the area to cool off. When theTask Force returned to Bikini, our helicopter aerial surveys indicated low to moderate hazard throughout the atoll. As a certified health physicist who was in charge of the radiologically contaminated area at Bikini atoll during operation CASTLE, I have no recollection of individuals receiving hazardous dosages of radiation. As an industrial hygienist and environmental scientist, I do recollect many health and safety hazards of the ocean environment, i.e. lung cancer from cigarette smoking, skin cancer from excessive sunlight, lagoon swimming hazards, coral infections, open sea smal] boat operations.