A REPoRT OF ~W
CONDWTED BY ~
~
~oc-~
~L&fIVE TO SUBMARI~ CABLE
SECTION FROM
COMMUNICATIONSMD ELECTRONICS
INCEPTION UIqTIL_PYIR
OF TXESE ACTIVITIES TO CT(37.3
Section of the staff of Lhutmmnt General
When the CO~miOatiOne
Hull was assi=ed responaib~lity
for the formation of ~
organization
to inetall eub~fine oable at Eniwetok Atoll for the oontrol, imtrumentation ~d photograph
inve6tigatioM ~d already
of’thu teete whioh were planned, oertain
been made into the s~bjoot -d
oertain
tentative deoisioM had been reaohed. The initial negotiationsbetween the Atomio Energy Commission and military agenoies on this
subjeot wre
oonduoted through CoamnanderE. B. Hooper, USN, l!ilitary
ApplioatioaaDivision of the Atomi.oEnergy Comaiasion. During the
week
of 4 Ootober 1947, Commander Hooper, oontaoted Code 9S7 (Cable)
in the Bureau of Shipe~ and through dioouesionewith Mr. Grier of the
Atomio Energy Conmiasion,it was tentati~ely deoided that a M=ooaduotor
oable (type 115 or 115P) and a 3 or +oonduotor oable (type 104) would
be suitable for use in the forthcoming operation. For a time the
possibility of oontraotingwith some oonmeroial oable oompany for the
la@ng of the oable was under ooneideration,but this approaoh to tlw
problem was di600uragedby the atriot
~
aeourlty aurroundlngthe opera-
tion. The only alternativewas to undertake the projeot by use of
military facilitiesand perconnel. Ineofar as the U.S. Coast Gurd
does muoh cubmarine oable wrk
in the oouzwe of its no-l
operations,
Lieutenant Conmmnder H. E. Rommd, USC(3,was oontaoted and questioned
regardimg the availabili~ of a oable-layingship and the suitability
11
Seotion XI
sbwFF’-%