WEAPONSTESTING Oe Bikini: JIF-7 ships are located in monitoring positions about 40 miles east of Bikini. Within minutes of the explosion, Navy personnel see the east- ward movement of the radioactive cloud and the ships begin to record a steady increase in radiation levels. All men are ordered below decks and hatches and watertight doors are sealed. Bikini: Hundreds of millions of tons of material from Bikini's reef, islands and lagoon are lifted into the air by Bravo. Approximately one and a half hours after the blast, a "gritty white ash" begins to fall on the 22 fishermen aboard the Japanese fishing vessel, the "Lucky Dragon." The fishermen are un- Rongerik: The 28 Air Force and Army men, although providing hourly weather reports to Enewetak headquarters, are not warned when Bravo will be exploded. Within hours of the blast, 125 miles away, radioactive ash begins falling on them. "If you can imagine a snow storm in the middle of the Pacific, that's what it was like," said one Rongerik Air Force man. Rongerik: The weather station reports the fallout to the Enewetak JTF-7 headquarters Dut receives no instructions about precautions to take. A second message is transmitted to Enewetak re- questing evacuation, but headquarters replies that there are no airplanes available to evacuate Rongerik. aware that the ash is fallout from a nuclear test. Soon after the fallout, they begin showing the effects of acute Utirik: Almost 275 miles east of Bikini, sea and vomiting. perience the fallout from Bravo. Rongelap: About three to four hours af- described as "mist like." begins to fall on the 64 people living Bikini: Ailinginae, Ailuk, Bikar, Liki- ter the blast, a white, snow-like ash on Rongelap and the 18 Rongelapese on Ailinginae, about 100 miles east of Bikini. The Rongelap people receive no official warning of the Bravo test, nor any notification of precautions to take to protect themselves from the Fallout. The radioactive dust soon forms a layer on the island 2 inches deep. It turns the drinking water a brackish yellow and contaminates the food. Ry nightfall, as a result of their exposure, the people begin to experience severe vomiting and-diarrhea. Atomic Energy Commission press release following "Bravo" blast,1954: "During the course of a routine atomic test in the Marshall Islands, 28 United States personnel and 236 residents were transported from neighboring atolls to Kwajalein Island according to a Plan as a precautionary measure. These individuals were unexpectedly exposed to some radioactivity. There were no burns. All were reported well. After the completion of the atomic tests, the natives will be returned to their homes." rFAnRAt AS 2 ~ a - the Utirik people are the last to ex-% <3 The fallout begins late in the day and is ep, Rongelap;Rongerik, Taka, Wotho, Utirik, Jemo and Mejit are contaminated with radioactive fallout from the 15 megaton Bravo test at Bikini Atoll. MARCH 2 Rongelap: Radiation monitoring personnel from Kwajalein arrive by seaplane at Rongelap, spend 20 minutes taking radiation measurements, tell the people not to drink the water, and leave to report their findings. Rongerik:-Fhe-woether station men con= —- d radiation exposure: itching skin, nau- OS 0 1954 continued 2 OS es ed) enes 22 ee ee ES SE Se ee beiht leededeitetenle tetLtttttdT eT|||| | PT eea dt|hd)|| hd]dy OO tinue sending radio messages to JTIF-7 headquarters requesting evacuation. MARCH 3 Rongerik: More than 48 hours after their exposure, the Americans are evacuated from Rongerik by an Air-Sea Rescue plane beginning at approximately 12 noon. Rongelap: Joint Task Force-7 ships be- zin the evacuation of the 64 people on Rongelap and the 18 Rongelapese on Aitinginge Atoil. MARCH 4 Ucirik: Approximately 72 hours (continued on page 10)