5 



SCIENTIFIC OFFENSIVE 



Science 's broad scope was clearly evidenced 

 at Bikini. Boarding the ships and airplanes heading 

 for Bikini were nuclear physicists, chemists, mathema- 

 ticians, spectroscopists, roentgenologists, biophysicists, 

 biologists, veterinarians, hematologists, piscatologists, 

 oceanographers, geologists, seismologists, meteorolo- 

 gists. Their work attracted particular attention because 

 of its novelty. New kinds of phenomena were expected ; 

 new kinds of instruments had to be built. No one could 

 say whether the instruments would work properly, 

 whether they would successfully cope with the extremes 

 of pressure, radiation intensity, etc. The scientists were 

 working at the frontier of experimental science ; some 

 of them were working far beyond the known frontiers. 

 They were filled with curiosity as to what information 

 their instruments would capture from the uncontrolla- 

 ble fury of the explosions which had never been wit- 

 nessed by such a large body of scientists. 



Dr. R. A. Sawyer, Technical Director, arrived at 

 Bikini on May 29, 1946. From his headquarters in the 

 KENNETH WHITING, he and his assistants coordi- 



57 



