On Nov. 1, 1952, the United States exploded the first hydrogen bomb, in a test at Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands.
The New York Times, November 1st, 1952
EXPERIMENTS FOR HYDROGEN BOMB HELD SUCCESSFULLY AT ENIWETOK; LEAKS ABOUT BLAST UNDER INQUIRY
DEAN BARES TESTS
HAILS 'REMARKABLE FEAT'
A.E.C. Head Says Eyewitnesses Who Wrote Letters About Blast May Be Disciplined
By JAY WALZ
Special to The New York Times
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In a three-paragraph announcement, the Commission did not go so far as to state that a full-scale hydrogen bomb had been detonated, but it did say "experiments contributing" to hydrogen bomb research had been completed recently during tests in Eniwetok atoll in the mid-Pacific.
Sources close to the commission said they interpreted the commission's announcement as meaning "something new has happened at Eniwetok." In Chicago, Dr. Harold C. Urey, Nobel Prize winner and a key figure in the wartime development of the atom bomb, said he believed the A.E.C. announcement meant that the United States had successfully exploded its first hydrogen bomb.
"It sounds like official language for a successful H-bomb," Dr. Urey responded, when the announcement was read to him.
The Atomic Energy Commission, speaking cautiously for the record, said only that test officials had expressed "satisfaction" over the results as a whole.
Disciplinary Action Weighed
The announcement, issued at the unusual hour of 5:30 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon, broke the silence that the commission had maintained for a week over unofficial reports that the first hydrogen bomb in history--a super-atomic weapon--had been exploded in the recent Eniwetok tests.
The reports emanated from letters that began arriving in the United States from writers who said they had seen at first hand an explosion far more powerful than those resulting from previous atomic detonations.
Gordon Dean, chairman of the commission, said tonight his agency was looking into the question of whether the letters, presumably from Government personnel, had violated regulations or Federal law relating to security information.
Answering reporters' questions, Mr. Dean said the commission was investigating these letters to find out whether disciplinary action and possibly prosecution were called for.
Mr. Dean, who came to his office this evening to read the announcement for the benefit of radio and newsreel representatives, also said the commission, in the public interest, would have nothing further to say on the subject, at least now.
'Productive' Uses Sought
What his announcement did say was this:
"Joint Task Force 132, operating for the Department of Defense and the United States Atomic Energy Commission, has concluded the third series of weapons development tests at Eniwetok atoll in the Marshall Islands.
"Like the Greenhouse series of 1951, it was designed to further the development of various types of weapons. In furtherance of the President's announcement of Jan. 31, 1950, the test program included experiments contributing to thermonuclear weapons research.
"Scientific executives for the tests have expressed satisfaction with the results. The leaders and members of the military and civilian components of the task force have accomplished a remarkable feat of precision in planning and operations and have the commendation of the Department of Defense and the Atomic Energy Commission.
"In the presence of threats to the peace of the world and in the absence of effective and enforcement arrangements for the control of armaments, the United States Government must continue its studies looking toward the development of these vast energies for the defense of the free world.
"At the same time, this Government is pushing with wide and growing success its studies directed toward utilizing these energies for the productive purposes of mankind."
The reference, in the first paragraph of the statement to President Truman's announcement of Jan. 31, 1950, was to a directive ordering the commission to get busy on thermonuclear weapons research, or the "so-called hydrogen or super-bomb."
There had been considerable discussion in Congress of the prospects of a weapon far more powerful than the atomic bomb and from some quarters there was pressure that the President direct the Atomic Energy Commission specifically to begin research and development of this weapon.
Mr. Truman, when he made his announcement, noted it was his responsibility "to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor." Since 1950 there has been tremendous expansion in the field of hydrogen weapons, notably in plants built in Aiken and Barnwell Counties along the Savannah River in South Carolina.
'Various' Weapons Tested
At the end of the spring test series in 1951, the commission reported that it was working on "thermonuclear weapons research," without leaving any inference as to the stage of the "work."
Today's announcement noted that the most recent tests had been designed to "further the development of various types of weapons." This left the clear impression in some quarters that both the standard nuclear fission and hydrogen weapons had been involved.
There had been no word officially, however, that research had developed to the "experiment" stage, and when the Defense Department and the commission announced on Sept. 9 that there would be new tests on Eniwetok, no mention was made of the hydrogen bomb. The announcement said merely that the tests, the third in a series, were "looking toward the development of atomic weapons."
There was no official expansion on this announcement. But a little more than a week ago letters that began to appear in the press described an event far more terrifying to the spectators than previous atomic explosions. The writers, including junior officers and crew members of ships near the scene, told of a weapon that seemed to be, indeed, a "hell bomb," and one writer reported seeing a mile-wide island disappearing.
Some of the letters reported an exact time for the explosion they said had taken place-- 7:15 A.M. Eniwetok time, Nov. 1.
Dean Issues Statement
Mr. Dean did not submit himself to a question-and-answer period before reporters, but he gave out a written reply to an earlier question about the letters of the last week.
It follows:
"Information issued by the Atomic Energy Commission on Eniwetok test series 1952 is limited to today's statement because any amplification might give aid to potential enemies.
"Our objectives of protecting the security of information about the tests have in general been attained. The commission is concerned, however, over the letters purporting to describe some events in connection with the tests. Investigations are under way leading to possible disciplinary action or prosecution for violation of task force regulations or the law.
"Making public further information as to the nature and results of these tests might injure the interests of the United States. We will make no further announcements."
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