4-Q@i-. port Service (MSTS) was required to provide surface lift between the West Coast and PPG for ordinary freight including. trailers, boats, and vehicles. Although the over-all basic requirements were fairly well known early in 1953, it was late in the year before the details of most of them were ironed out. For example, February planning for sampling contemplated the use of B-57’s, F-84G’s, B-36’s, and a B-52 if one were included in the DOD effects program. By October it was apparent that there was little chance of any B-57’s being ready for Castle, and a need had arisen for some fairly low-level sampling on each shot by a B-29. No B-52 was assigned to effects tests. Ir April a monthly status report system was established which was used to determine support requirements other than technical and construction requirements of the various projects. Construction requirements were handled directly between the projects and Section J-6. Detailed housing, weather, and vehicle requirements were ready in July, and requirements for landing craft, trailer movements, transportation of nuclear components, and sample return were ready in October. An aircraft positioning meeting was held at Los Alamos in October 1953 to establish an organization and program to enable CTG 7.1 to carry out his responsibilities in connection with recommending safe pesitions for aircraft at shot time while meeting, in so far as practicable, requirements for acquiring data and operational requirements. This was the first of raany-meetings for this purpose, most of which were held between shots in the Forward Area. Fequired phasing of major elements of military support was concluded in December. Determination of all these requirements represented months of negotiation and accumulation of infurmation; most requirements chaized in at least a minor degree as the cencept and schedules changed and better planning information became availahle. 3.4.3 Training and Rehearsals Details of training are covered as appropriate in the reports of the various programs, projects, and Task Units. Extensive training of personnel and testing of equipment went on before movement overseas and continued at PPG. TG 7.1 was represented in the full-scale Air Task Group rehearsal, Operation Tigercat, off San Diego in October 1953. A Task Force rehearsal preceded the first shot. Projectwise and frequencywise the participation was com- . plete. Evacuation was not rehearsed. For a numberof days before each shot, dry runs of the timing and firing system were held once or twice a day. Operations for which timing was important, such as recovery operations and key operations scheduled for D—1 day, were rehearsed as often as necessary to determine the actual time required and to decrease that time as practicable, 3.5 MOVEMENT TO THE FORWARD AREA AND ASSEMBLY OF SUBORDINATE UNITS 3.5.1 Personnel Information regarding the expected number of personnel to be present in the Forward Area during Operation Castle was obtained from the monthly status reports submitted prior to forward movement by the various units of the Task Group. These population figures were subdivided by location into the following general categories: sites at Bikini Atoll, sites at Eniwetok Atoll, and shipboard space. Detailed compilations were prepared showing the estimated weekly population at any location in the PPG. These population estimates were useful in determining such things as camp locations, camp size, MATS transportation required, and over-all camp support required of H&N. In comparing the estimates nade during the fall of 1953 with the actual strengths, it is to be noted that the latter consistently ran approximately 80 per cent of estimated. The total number of quarters in all camps requested by the Task Group exceeded the total population by about 20 per cent, The excess was required to permit some personnel who moved frequently between locations to have permanent quarters in two camps. During the operation it was discovered that many persons who had requested a billet only in some camp other than 36