IX

On earlier tests commncation failure occasionally occurred, and
sampling pilots had to operate without control.

Some were of such high

calibre and competence that they managed to obtain acceptable samples
in spite of the communication failure."
Concerning radiation dosage, Mr. Moore offered this comment:

25

Preplanning has always been so well done that the dosage
to be received is known before the mission starts, The same
for ground personnel and natives was not always true, although
no serious and long-lasting illnesses have resulted from
unplanned fallout or routine decontamination,
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But in our earlier operations es

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established that we had been operating for years with a larger
percentage of luck than we knew, Local wind situation has
since been recognized as of extreme importance
us
fooled us on
lout and yield.
all weather had been predicted accurate

winds blew fallout directly over the troop and operational
areas, Fortunately it was not of sufficient intensity. to
require evacuation or extraordinary precautions,

However,

the weather people, after that incident, also forecast
the local winds,

Lack was also with us on another occasion. Of all the
planes scheduled to participate on that shot, two aborted.
Had they not aborted, they would have been directly over the
detonation when it occurred,
Again, great care was taken to package and return
samples obtained to Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory with
greatest possible speed and safety. Immediately the sampling
aircraft landed, samples were removed, rolled into tubes and
inserted into the lead "pigs" for their flight to LASL,
Sample-carrying couriers were marked internally so that
neither crew or passengers would get close enough to the
pigs to receive more than one week's tolerance dosage during

flight.

Sample couriers flew straight through, with only

a 20-minute stop at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, for refueling.

Upon arrival at LASE, the samples were immediately removed
from the pigs, placed in a solution of strong acids on a

quartz flask in the "hot" chambers and filter paper and
filtered material both completely dissolved, The resulting

193

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SWEH-~2-003;

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Select target paragraph3