-2It should also be noted that the testing of weapons is important likewise in order to be fully aware of the possible, future, aggressive ability of an enemy for we now fully know that we possess no monopoly of capability in this awesome field. Now as to this specific test series. The first shot has deen variously described as "devastating", "out of control, and with other exaggerated and mistaken characterizations. I would not wish to minimize it, It was a very large blast but at no time was the testing out ef control, The misapprehension seems to have arisen due to two facts. First, that the yield was about double that of the calculated estimate -- a margin of error not incompatible with a totally new weapon, (The range of guesses on the first A bomb covered a relatively far wider spectrum.) Second, because of the results of the "fall-out," When a large explosion occurs on or within a certain distance of the ground, an amount of earth or water or whatever is beneath the center of the explosion is sucked up into the air. The heavy particles fall out quickly. The lighter ones are borne away in the direction of the wind until they too settle out, If the explosion is a nuclear one, many of these particles are radioactive as are the vaporized parts of the weapon itself, For this reason the Atomic Energy Commission has conducted the tests of its larger weapons away from the mainland so that the fall-out would occur in the ocean where it would be quickly dissipated both by dilution and by the rapid decay of most of the radioactivity which is of short duration, The Marshall Islands were selected for the site of the first large-scale tests -- Operation Crossroads -- for reasons which will be apparent from the maps which I shall show you, The late Admiral W.H.P, Blandy, under whomI had the privilege of serving, selected the Bikini site. The Marshall Islands during the months of February, March, and April are usually favored by winds which would blow away from any inhabited atolls, The two atolls of Bikini and Eniwetok were chosen as the base for these operations, Each of these atolls is a large necklace REPRODUCED AT THE DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER LIBRARY of coral reef surrounding a lagoon two to three hundreds of square miles in area, and at various points on the reef like beads on a string appear a multitude of little islands, some a few score acres in extent -others no more than sandspits. It is these small, uninhabited, treeless sand bars which are used for the experiments, As a matter of fact, the Task Force dredged up enough sand and coral to build one of these so-called islands to have it where it was wanted most advantageously for ahot number one, The impression that an entire atoll or even large islands have been destroyed in these tests ise erroneous, would be more accurate to say a large sandspit or reef, Before the shct takes place, there is a careful winds at all elevations up to many thousands of feet. conducted by weather stations on islands and on fleet separated points, Contrary to general belief, winds only one direction at a given time and place. It 4 survey of the This Survey is units at widely do not blow in At various heights above the earth, winds are found to be blowing frequently in opposite directions and at greatly varying speeds, An atomic cloud is therefore sheared by these winds as it rises through them, The meteorologists attempt to forecast the wind direction for the optimum condition and the Task Force Commander thereupon decides on the basis of the weather reports when the test shall be made. The weather forecast is necessarily longrange because a warning area must be searched for shipping and the search which is carried out both visually and by radar in P2V Navy planes requires a day or more to complete, more wwe ts kk ’