BOMBS AT BIKINI 



The results are history. Ships were crushed, and 

 sank; two million tons of water and spray buried 

 scores of ships. 



Even more deeply buried — lost in the drama of the 

 moment — were the underlying problems, the guiding 

 motive. Why plan an Operation Crossroads'? Why 

 send 42,000 men, 242 ships, 156 airplanes, 4 television 

 transmitters, 750 cameras, 5000 pressure gages, 25,000 

 radiation recorders, 204 goats, 200 pigs, 5000 rats and 

 why transport Numbers 4 and 5 of the atomic bomb 

 family thousands of miles across land and sea for two 

 brief moments of majestic destruction? 



The general answer is, of course, well known: It 

 was imperative to find how to improve our Navy. 

 As long as we have a Navy — and we will have one 

 as long as the possibility of war remains — we want to 

 have one of highest possible quality. We want ships 

 which are tough, even when threatened by atomic 

 bombs; we want to keep the ships afloat, propellers 

 turning, guns firing; we want to protect the crews so 

 that, if fighting is necessary, they can fight well today 

 and return home unharmed tomorrow. 



Underlying this general requirement is a long list 

 of specific questions. If" the list seems long, it is be- 

 cause of the unequalled importance of the atomic bomb. 

 This new bomb is no mere creator of dazzling light and 

 peach-colored clouds; it shakes the very foundations 

 of military strategy. The questions are many ; they are 

 highly technical and eminently practical. They are not 



