Books and Manuscripts

"The blast was the most spectacular event that I have ever seen...": Eyewitness Account of the First Atomic Bomb Tests at Bikini Atoll

Bikini Lagoon, June 12, July 25, and August 6, 1946. Comprising two letters (one typed and one autograph) from a member of Operation Crossroads (signed "Bob") to a Mr. A.R. Sharpless, regarding the first nuclear testing at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands (with original mailing envelopes), as well as an official two-page mimeographed account of the second atomic bomb test "Baker", taken from the USS Wharton, dated July 25, 1946.

Lot also includes four photographs of the detonation of the first atomic bomb test, "Able".

A revealing eyewitness account of the first atomic bomb testing at Bikini Atoll, written by a member of Operation Crossroads--the joint Army-Navy program that oversaw the tests and their effects on naval vessels. The first letter, dated June 12, 1946, recounts the preparations leading up to the first test "Able", which took place on July 1 of that year, while also describing the day-to-day life of that soldier while stationed in the remote central Pacific islands: "It is too early to get any commitments here on the future of Crossroads. That will come after the burst...Each day we go about the target array in landing craft boarding certain ship and checking certain data. We have made a number of examinations covering almost the entire electrical system and I enjoy it...It will be interesting to observe the marine life after both blasts..."

The second letter, dated two weeks after the second test "Baker (the first underwater nuclear explosion) on August 6, describes in detail that explosion: "Since my last letter to you, we have gone through the second or 'Baker' test, and are now in the process of inspecting, but it is slow work. As was anticipated, the radioactivity after the underwater blast was much greater than after the air blast and some of the ships are quite 'hot'. Some cannot be boarded at all, and some have a definite time limit for staying aboard. That is an interesting result of the atomic tests and can of course make a new problem for defense. A number of monitors with Geiger counters of various types patrol questionable areas and compartments and our actions are governed by their findings. As with the first blast, I personally had no particular thrill from the second blast until the last few seconds. We were much closer to the center and as there was no danger from the initial flash, all of us had our binoculars trained right on the spot. We could see the target ships clearly through the glasses, even though the farthest ones were a little 'hull down' over the horizon. Right on the dot to the second, the quiet water of the lagoon errupted (sic) with a mass of water, orange flame, and fog. The column was large even at the distance we were from it, and we knew it dwarfed the ships, even though they were long hidden by an enormous mass of fog. The ships could be seen rolling on the outer edges of the target area, and soon breakers poured over the reef and the low islands within view, breaking through the palms trees and into the ocean...the blast was the most spectacular event that I have ever seen..."

Originally enclosed with the above letter is an official mimeographed account of the explosion of the second bomb, observed by the crew aboard the USS Wharton, a US Navy troopship that transported observers to witness the blasts. Highly detailed in nature, it reads, "At 0835 the bomb was detonated. The first indication of this was a huge cone of flame and smoke shooting several thousand feet into the air. This was instantaneously followed by a huge column of water and steam, with a mushroom on top. As soon as this mushroom had plumed out, there was a terrific lateral blast of smoke and steam that covered the entire array. This immediately formed into a huge surface mushroom, that was being fed from its center with immense quantities of smoke and steam...obscuring practically all the ships...About one half minute after the burst, an underwater shock wave hit this ship. About one half minute after the initial burst, a concussion was felt, and the loud roar of the explosion heard..."

Eyewitness accounts of this testing are very uncommon, and provide an inside glimpse of the beginnings of the nuclear arms race during the Cold War.