The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-07-08
LetdolUn Tremendous Bikini Bomb Fluke As Far as Pre-test ForecQsters SQw It

(Editor's Nosc: Frank H. Bar
 tholomew, United Press vice.
 president for the Pacific DiVis-
 ion, represented the combined
 press in the observer plane that
 covered the dropping of the
 atom bomb at Bikini. The fol-
 lowing day he flew over the tar
 get area at an elevation of
 only 15O feet and subsequently, boarded some of the damaged
 ships for closeup eXamina-
 ton. Following is the first of
 two dispatches in which Bar
 tholomew gives his opinion as
 to whether the atomic bomb
 test was a success.
 By FRANK H. BARTHOLOMEW
 Bikini Aton, July 8-(UPJ-The first B:kini atomic bomb was posi- tive. powerful and a test success in the opinion of this reporter.
 This conclusion was reached after observing the burst from an air. plane overhead, then on the fol- lowing day flying at an elevation of 150 feet among the sm0u1deTing target ships. and on the third day boarding two of the bombed ships and landing on Bikini Island for closeup examination.
 Nevertheless the test suffered seriously in public opinion here from too much buildup. resulting in the general impression that it was an ant;-elimsl. Some eXtrem- ists have used the word fake
 Opinion Contrasted
 In shutting between corrsspon- dents with the Air Forces on Kaw- ialein and. those with the Navy aboard the Appalachian at Blkini Atoll, find an interesting. contrast in prevailing opinion. Some correspondents and broad casters at Kawjalein have expressed the opinion that the teast was a aust-the. bomb was of such low or der that t just escaped classification as a dud. Some add the view that the Navy worked out an anchoring pattern in the target array to maks the capital ships look as good as possible. make the aerial bombing look as weak as possible, and gen. erauy hamper the. true objective of the test.
 Applachian espondentS are shaking of that let-down feeling resulting from their initial over expectancy. The gravity of the dam age done to the targets 1t making an increasing impression.
 It should be noted here that de- spite the facte this was a joint ser vice operation. the Army and Navy were not oasieally sympathetic to one another. The Navy dominates public relations in this show re- gardless of statements on both sides and regardless of paper plans that show an even balance in publicity,
 Five Minutes From Target
 My own overall opinion has been subjected to apprccsable revision after observing the first test from the dre-eontrol dome Of 8 B-29 at 1000 feet, a seant 20 miles from the point Of denotation. That sounds i like a long way on land, out 1t semS no distance at all from the sky.
 The targets were clearly visible and seemed only about one-third of the distance from out aircraft to the horizon. We were just five minutes flying distance from the bullseye-which we had been cir cling up to when the bomber ar rived with the atomic miss-e.
 Immediately after the explosion, we flew directly toward the atomic cloud for 15 miles. Then we con- tinuously few in an orbit back and forth for a full hour until the thinly-spun cloud became men ace to the entire sky.
 Sitting with my head and shoul- ders above the top of a B-29 un- der full view of the plastic dome, l heard the words, bomb away over the radio from the bomb car- rier. While waiting endlessly for the detonation, I was expecting a great deal more than actually hap pened.
 Signs Away Everything
 This was partly due to the in- pressive but perhaps cautious measures taken by the safety-con- trol people. I had to sign by fash light n pre-dawn darkness Wa- vier saving the Government from any liability in cast something should happen to me.
 was also supposed to carry a radio-seisitive film packet which would be developed on my return to ascertain haw much pathological activity I had picked up.
 was issued black (not dark glasses, reinforced with adhesive tape against leaks from the blind- ing flare or shortwave lombard ment.
 As far as this reported is con- cerned, these glasses proved to be about as practical as another docu- nent he was required to sign. In that paper, he signed away to the Government any atomic inventions