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OOTNOTES FOR CHAPTER V
l.
Memo for Record by Colonel Karl H. Houghton, Technical Advisor to
Comdr, TG 7.4, 28 Apr 54, subj:
BRAVO."
Section.
(SECRET, R/D)
"Personnel Overexposures Post-
On File in TG 7.4 Classified Document
Some confusion existed in the evacuation of Task Force personnel
from Rongerik.
was this:
An account of this, gleaned from official reports,
Twenty-four airmen and one warrant officer of the Weather Reporting
Element (Provisional) of Task Group 7.4 had been assigned to operate
a weather station for JIF SEVEN and a recording radiation rate meter
for the New York Operations Office of the AEC on Rongerik.
.
This
radiac station was one of several situated in the Pacific as part of;
a general fall-out study.
This instrument was capable of detecting
a maximumactivity of 100 mr/hr.” Three Army enlisted men assigned to
Task Group 7.1 were stationed at Rongerik to operate the ionosphere
measurement station for Project 6.6.
At 1500 hours on BRAVO Day (1 March 1954), the following message waa
dispatched to Mr. Breslin of the NYOO at JTF SEVEN on Parry:
#,...GR MIKE over 100 CHARLIES — over 100."
‘Another message to JTF SEVEN at 2015 hours on BRAVO Day stated that:
",,..auto monitor present reading is 100 plus repeat 100
plus, pen off chart and has been in this position since
02502. Request acknowledgement of receipt by Mr.
However, Mr.
was not on the island.
Colonel
*
’
Task Group 7.1, stated that the top range of the instrument was 100
mr. Therefore, at 0015 hours on 2 March (B plus 1), the Rongerik
station was notified to keep all personnel inside metal buildings
until further notice. At 0830 the same morning, Captain
departed for Rongerik in an SA-16 to act as a rad monitor, At Rongerik, the aircraft did not land immediately but made passes over
the island at 500 feet altitude. The average reading on the 4T-1B
radiac instruments were 200 mr/hr.
in a reading of 340 mr/hr.
Captain
Another pass at 250 feetresulted
then contacted JIF
SEVEN and asked if Rongerik should be evacuated immediately. The
message reached JTF SEVEN garbled and Lt Colonel
, JIF
SEVEN Rad-Safety Officer, advised them not to evacuate, since Ron~
gerik was in the same contamination level as the USS ESTES and the
USS BAIROKO and reading about 300 mr/hr. He stated that this effect
should be transient and disappear in a few hours. Captain
PRIVACYACT MATERIA
Jo
”