Appendix 10 



Preliminary Statement by the Evaluation Board 



on 

 Test A 



The following preliminary statement on Test A was prepared 

 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff's Evaluation Board immediately fol- 

 lowing Test A. The statement was released by the White House 

 on July 11, 1946. 



The members of the Board inspected target ships the day before 

 the test, witnessed the explosion from an airplane twenty miles dis- 

 tant, and then approached to within nine miles for a brief view. 

 On the following day, as soon as safety clearance had been received, 

 the members flew to Bikini and began their examination of ship 

 damage. Many photographs had been studied, and military and 

 scientific specialists interviewed in an attempt to obtain an over-all 

 understanding of test results prior to the compilation of all the 

 data. 



From its previous study of the plans for the test, and from its 

 observations in the Bikini Area, the Board considers that the test 

 was well conceived and well executed by the services in close co- 

 operation with a large civilian staff. It is satisfied in that the con- 

 ditions of the test were well-chosen and that the highest skill and 

 ingenuity have been used to obtain a maximum amount of data 

 in an unbiased, scientific manner. It believes that the commander, 

 staff, and personnel of Task Force One deserve high commendation 

 for their excellent performance and their notable cooperative spirit. 



Effective precautions appear to have been taken to safeguard 

 personnel against radioactivity and associated dangers. 



The Board's present information is that the bomb exploded with 

 an intensity which approached the best of the three previous bombs, 

 over a point 1500 to 2000 feet westerly of the assigned target, and 

 at approximately the planned altitude. 



The target array in no sense represented an actual naval dis- 

 position but was designed to obtain the maximum data from a single 

 explosion. The most important eff'ects produced by the bomb are 

 the following: 



a. A destroyer and two transports sank prom])t]y and another 

 destroyer capsized. It later sank, and the Japanese cruiser 



192 



