44 , DASA 2019-2 basically a CINCPAC- supported civilian organization based with the Task Force but not operating as part of it. Whenthe instrument went off scale, the operating procedure catled ius the aerial confirmation of this and there was not enough interest in the Task Force to authorize sending a plane over the island to see if, in fact, the instrument was working properly. As I recall it, this was delayed about 36 hours. No information beyond the initial dispatches came into the States for about two days. In other words, there was just a complete breakdown as far as information was concerned, :n taking the steps that were necessary in order to evaluate the situation, and to take the necessary palliative measures. UPTON: You sayit was delayed? EISENBUD. I cite this simply to illustrate that right up to the last minute, with the fallout lying on the ground, the people just didn't go up to investigate. UPTON: You say 36 hours, Merril? and if so, why? Was something done then, EISENBUD: This is also interesting, The Commission had recommended an evacuation capability up there and this was denied on the basis that it wasn't necessary, that there would not be any fallout; that there just couldn't be enough fallout to warrant keeping ships on station so that they could evacuate natives on short notice, Finally, a plane went up. I was never clear as to why it went up there, but it was up there with a radiation instrument; it flew over Rongerik and found that the radiation levels were high. It was a PBM-1, of that serics. It put down into the lagoon and took the American personnel off and then sent information back to headquarters which resulted in an LST, [ believe, being dispatched to Rongelap to take natives off of Rongelap, so that the natives were there, I think, 56 hours. DUNHAM: Fifty-two hours. CONARD: A plane evacuated 16 older people from Rongelap at 50 hours and the remaining 48 people were evacuated by ship at 51 hours, EISENBUD: I thought I would giv. .his as background, because it illustrates the incredible disbelief of the subject of tallout that persisted not only upto this point but later on, as you will probably see.