and equipment handling; (4) severe boating conditions at Bikini during delay periods,
which restricted maintenance of test stations; (5) degeneration of test stations by salt
spray, humidity, rain, and intense sun during the repeated postponements of shot days
because of weather; (6) changes of shot sequence, sites, and predicted yields; (7) extreme
variations in actual and predicted yields; and (8) cancellation of one shot (Echo) for which
elaborate instrumentation had been prepared.
1.2
ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
The solicitation, review, and coordination of project proposals was undertzken in accordance with the basic mission of the AFSWP. In April 1953, the Joint Chiefs of Staff
augmented the mission of the AFSWPby directing the AFSWP “. . . to exercise technical
direction of weapons effects phases of development tests or other tests of atomic weapons
TABLE 1.2
FUNDING AND COSTS, MILITARY-EFFECT TEST PROGRAM
Progra
Tid
¢ram
Initial R&D
°
R&D Costs to
Funding
1 October 1957
i
Blast and Shock Measurements
$2,200,000
$1,603,176
2
3
Nuclear Radiation Studies
Structures, Equipment and Material
1,400,000
700 ,000
963,891
367,218
6
7
Service Equipment and Techniques
Long Range Detection
1,211,750
360,000
1,073 ,600
239 249
9
Supporting Measurements
1,000 ,900
132,210
4
8
Biomedical Studies
Thermal Radiation Measurements
Field Command, AFSWP
200 ,000
209,000
—_
TOTAL
7,901
37,361,750
20 ,000*
é
25,268
$4,432 413
*To Program 18, LASL, for thermal msasurements.
within any task force organization for tests conducted outside the continental United States”
(Reference 4}. The mode of implementing this expanded mission for Castle was delineated
in an agreement between the Commander, Joint Tast Force 7, and Chief, AFSWP (Reference 5). As a part of this agreement, AFSWP formed and manned Task Unit 13 (acti-
vated 1 June 1953) as a unit under Task Group 7.1 and exercised technical] direction by
direct communication with Commander, Task Unit 13, and as necessary with Commander,
Task Group 7.1 (see Figure 1.1). At the request of AFSWP (Reference 6), personnel of
project agencies were ordered by their respective services to report to the Commander,
Task Group 7.1 through the Commander, Task Unit 13 for planning and ccordination control during nonoperational phases and for full operational contro] during the on-site
operational phase.
The Chief, AFSWP, supervised the preliminary work on the military-effect program,
with the Weapons Test Division performing the detailed coordination. In March 1953,
the Commanding General, Field Command AFSWP, was assigned the responsibility for
the technical direction of the program. This responsibility was discharged through the
Directorate of Weapons Effects Tests, Field Command AFSWP. During the operational
phase, the responsibility for technical direction reverted to the Chief, AFSWP.
1.3
FUNDING
Research and development (R & D) funds were allotted directly to the participating project
20