BOMBS AT BIKINI 



might kill millions of fish, even at great range. They 

 feared also that whales or tmia fish might be abundant 

 in the area, and might be killed, crippling various fish- 

 ing activities in the Pacific. To evaluate any such dan- 

 gers, advice was sought from the Fish and Wildlife 

 Service of the U. S. Department of the Interior. The 

 answer was definite : Bikini is so far from the migra- 

 tory routes of whales at the time of year in question 

 that no appreciable danger to whales exists; and the 

 area is not critical for tuna fish or other fish of com- 

 mercial importance. In particular, it is not a spawn- 

 ing ground for west coast tuna. 



A real dilemma complicated the choice of dates for 

 the atomic bomb tests. The reasons for holding the 

 tests soon seemed very urgent ; yet the need for delay 

 seemed equally real. On the urgent side, these facts 

 were clear: (1) The scientific resources of the Navy 

 and Army (and the Army's Los Alamos Laboratory in 

 particular) were declining from their wartime peaks; 

 every month that passed left fewer scientists avail- 

 able to accomplish the highly technical mission lying 

 ahead. (2) The supply of nontechnical service per- 

 sonnel, too, was diminishing; before long it would be 

 difficult or impossible to obtain officers, technicians, or 

 crews for the enormous fleet. (3) Civilian scientists 

 to be ''drafted" from universities were insistent on 

 returning to their universities by early September ; if 

 they were to be used, the tests would have to be held 

 in the spring. (4) Army and Navy budgets were ex- 



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