Appendix 12 



Preliminary Statement by the Evaluation 



Commission on 



Test A 



The following preliminary statement on Test A was prepared 

 by the President's Evaluation Commission immediately following 

 Test A. The statement was released by the White House on July 

 11, 1946. 



Dear Mr. President: 



Your Evaluation Commission, divided between positions at sea 

 and in the air, witnessed the First Bikini Test, at 33 seconds after 

 9 :00 A.M., local time on July 1st, and has since completed a sur- 

 vey of the damage. The Second Test, wherein the bomb will be 

 exploded under water, will in some respects be of even greater 

 interest, for it will have no precedent. 



The report of your Commission required by its directives of 

 May 18th must await the assembling of considerable data deriving 

 from instrumental and photographic measurements and analysis 

 of tission product samples. However, we believe that it lies within 

 the scope of your directive and may be of possible assistance to 

 you, to submit, now, the following brief observations made from 

 the layman's point of view, but with such accuracy as is presently 

 available : 



1. The organization and execution of the operation was mag- 

 nificently handled and has commanded our continuous admiration. 

 The bomb was dropped under favorable weather conditions about 

 30 seconds after the time set. The greatest credit is due Admiral 

 Blandy and the officers and enlisted personnel of both services 

 who, with scientists and other civilians, have served and are serv- 

 ing under him with a display of team work that must be seen to 

 be fully appreciated. 



2. Their conservatively safe distance from the burst led many 

 observers to entertain an initial opinion that the bomb employed 

 was somewhat under par. It is now, however, safe to state that 

 the energy was of the same order of magnitude as in the case of 

 previous atomic detonations, between the highest and lowest of this 

 bomb's three predecessors. 



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