operation cue was the name given that about a test in one nine hundred fifty five designed to explore the effects of small nuclear weapons upon buildings towers and equipment of many kinds the nuclear device used was comparatively an explosive force of thirty killer tons equivalent to thirty thousand tons of t n t whereas some modern thermonuclear weapons are in the twenty make a ton range twenty million tons more than six hundred times as powerful as a bomb shown here with a much wider radius of destruction in this test many of the structures damaged by the thirty killer time bomb were approximately one mile from ground zero with a twenty megaton blast that probably would be obliterated comparable damage would occur to a distance of at least eight and a half or nine miles therefore while aberration q was valuable for research and test purposes it does not reflect the full severity of today's checked in once with an official far briefing on past to give me a perspective of the entire test layout a member of the civil defense that showed me a carefully prepared model of the site he explained the scope of the path and the detail care with which it had been planned we begin with the question of shelter for shelter might save the lives of those far enough from ground zero but what kinds of shelter are effective several types of to be tested from elaborate industrial shelters or box like family shelter in the corner room of a in this frame house without a basement for the seven hundred foot line we want to test a bathroom shelter built of reinforced concrete the entrance door and outside window covering are designed to resist  blast loss of power may be one of the biggest problems after an attack power poles power lines cold transformers and complete substations are to be tested by the edison institute we hope to learn the answers to these questions how will they withstand this blast how long will it take to make repairs how soon can service be reestablished one complete transformer substation has been erected relatively close to the two kinds of radio towers are to be tested one tower is self supporting without guy wires and the other has supporting cables both types are very common nearby a complete radio transmitter will actually broadcast from tape before the shot to be picked up by radios in the test houses both liquefied petroleum and natural gas facilities will be tested our fittings and connections stand the test will be fires all equipment is installed and checked by experts from the lp gas association and the american gas association this is an eighteen thousand gallon supply tank partially filled with propane and complete with the pipes here awaiting storage house and delivery platform that directed on the test site precast lightweight concrete walls and roof panels are joined by steel lugs at a thirty five hundred foot line is a house similar to one previously tested in  provides additional strain at a cost increase of approximately ten percent that's the real purpose of testing these houses to find their weak point the cooperation of the furniture and appliances industr interior home furnishings also donated by and history but complete in every detail textiles and synthetic fabrics were also to be  set up in the open facing the blast each item of clothing and each color has been carefully selected other foods including fresh meat butter and similar perishables are to be tested just below the level of the ground at three positions along the main test line this will expose the food to high intensity radiation without risking destruction of the containers test items include sterilize foods packaged in cartons metal and glass all will be exposed according to plan to give us the most information the night of the had one purpose to study the result of this explosion at a position a mile forward from media hill the civil defense shield exercise group had assembled with their equipment small group of civil defense volunteers were to occupy a trench relatively close to ground zero on media hill where i remained there was talk of a last minute briefing and more w this is what remained of the masonry house that was not reinforced this is a house constructed the reinforced concrete blocks after the explosion although the redesigned two story frame house was severely damaged the structural improvements had strengthened its resistance considerably the reinforced bathroom shelter was standing intact beneath the ruins of the house so this type also offered some degree of protection upper section of one on guide radio tower collapsed from the tremendous force of the blast the guide to tell where it was likely twisted by a power pole which fell across one of the guy wires within the concrete radio house been shaken up but as soon as power was restored the transmitter resumed broadcasting the eighteen thousand gallon tank of liquefied petroleum gas was undamaged the connections were intact the w and storage house was scattered across the desert but the consumer sized tanks were on high and power lines and transformers suffered some damage but most of the power poles were still standing or could be repaired cams could have been salvaged from demolished buildings and used for preparing meat the people eating i realized that mass feeding would be an important job for civil defense i took a last look at the debris and devastation this time it was only a test a well planned test not a real attack it was a test of the things we use in everyday life