0241: EARLY POSTWAR ATOMIC BOMB ARCHIVE Start Price USD 750.00 Current Price USD 750.00 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Saturday, October 11, 2008 End Time Sunday, October 12, 2008 Location Bridgeport, WV, USA See more about '0241: EARLY POSTWAR ATOMIC BOMB ARCHIVE' Description click for larger image0241: EARLY POSTWAR ATOMIC BOMB ARCHIVEPOSTWAR DISCUSSION ON NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AND "OPERATION CROSSROADS"241. [ATOMIC BOMB ARCHIVE] Important historic collection of five 1946 manuscripts, a TDS by American physicist and Nobel Laureate ISIDOR ISAAC RABI (1898-1988); a TLS by physicist EDWARD TELLER (1908-2003), five photographs [one multiply signed], and related printed material comprising two pamphlets, three leaflets, a Christmas card, and a souvenir book; 192 pages, various sizes, 1872 to 1980 and undated. Excellent historical research material regarding the development and testing of the atomic bomb, primarily after World War II, and including papers on Joint Army Task Force One's "Operation Crossroads" - the atomic bomb test at Bikini Atoll, when the USS Panamint served as the floating headquarters for congressional, scientific and United Nations observers. Typed manuscripts, unsigned, include reports by Patrick Maitland, 17th Earl of Lauderdale (b. 1911), a war correspondent during WW II, entering British politics postwar. Two reports on his letterhead as editor of the The Fleet Street Letter, an agency for political and diplomatic news. Jun 19, 1946: Concerning the creation of an international organization for atomic energy development, discussion of the American proposal of an International Atomic Energy Authority at urgent meetings of the Nuclear Energy Committee composed of members of the British cabinet and physicists, the report to be submitted to the UN after approval of the full cabinet. In part: "...In broad outline Cabinet Ministers welcome the American proposal, especially the suggestion, which Ministers regard as vital that the Big Five veto provision in the Security Council shall be annulled in respect of sanctions against any nation offending the International Authority. But a number of obscure points in the American proposal first require elucidation, British experts think. The first is the elaboration of stages at which atomic energy 'know-how' shall be surrendered to the Authority. Another would be the type of sanctions which could effectively be employed to rescue an atomic energy plant from seizure by a national authority. This is a highly complex military problem and would not necessarily be settled by the aerial use of atomic weapons themselves. A third portent which, in the preliminary view of the British experts, needs careful exploration, is the method of inspection and control of atomic energy plants and the means of ensuring that knowledge of the location of fissionable materials is not withheld from the Authority. Soviet reactions to the American proposal have been virtually nothing. All that the Russian public has so far been allowed to know is contained in the following Tass Agency report of Mr. Baruch's speech: 'The US Delegate Baruch expounded the proposal of the USA on the creation of an international organization for control of the possible kinds of activities in the sphere of atomic energy development.' Nothing is yet said in Russia about the American offer to destroy all atomic bombs hitherto made nor about the proposal to eliminate the veto and institute inspection backed by immediate sanctions." A second report by Maitland in the wake of the growing Cold War, Jul 1, 1946, highlights the Soviet Union's interest in atomic research and development. Maitland relates international nuclear development and the discovery of the disintegration of uranium by the Soviet Union for which Dr. Zhdanov, head of the Radium Institute of the USSR, had been awarded the Second Stalin Prize. Highly publicized in the USSR, the discovery "is stated to relate to splitting nuclei of bromium and silver...At the same time persistent attempts have been made to suggest that the manufacture of the atom bomb is of minor importance. Thus Maj. Gen. Galaktionov, Military Correspondent of Pravda, wrote some weeks ago that atom bomb theories of war were the same as Hitler's blitzkrieg theory and meant a false evaluation of military factors. Prof. Pokrovsky declared in the Red Army Hour over Moscow Radio a week ago that the Japanese war could have been won equally easily without the Nagasaki and Hiroshima bombs. The latest edition of the 'Agitator's Notebook', published by the Propaganda Section of the Moscow Communist Party, asserts that atom bombs are useless against armies in the field. At the same time Soviet comment on the Baruch proposal is uniformly unfavourable..." A third report copy, undated, suggests that Republican Senator Vandenburg, a former isolationist and member of the US Delegation to the UN, first voiced anxiety about the proposed Atomic Energy Commission before Secretary Byrnes left Washington for Moscow and his meeting with Marshal Stalin and Molotoff in which he stated he would give them "an indication of the kind of secrets which America would divulge in due course" and to "give the Marshal incomplete information on one or two technical aspects of the Anglo-American-Canadian discoveries" but without enough to reconstruct the whole. Senator Vandenberg and the rest of the Committee bitterly opposed the project. "It is, however, certain that the Russians have made considerable progress on their own" on spontaneous disintegration of uranium. Also present is a carbon copy of a Typed Manuscript by Frank Berwick and Royal Navy Commander SIR ALLAN NOBLE (1908-1982), 8pp, single-spaced, 8"x13" Aug 12, 1946, with regard to Operation Crossroads. Titled "Government Observers Atomic Bomb Tests Report" and marked "Confidential" in blue ink at upper left corner. With revisions and corrections in ink, in the hand of Noble. Noble served as adviser to US congressmen and senators on board the USS Panamint observing the atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll. The first two pages comprise an overview directed to The Under Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, White Hall. This overview of the project in lieu of technical reports that will be presented by other sources, and their conclusions formed as eyewitnesses, includes an outline of the three-part report. In succeeding paragraphs it summarizes "Organization [of the project]...As an anti-ship weapon...Ship Defence...Radio-activity...Atomic Bombs of the Future...General..." Followed by "Part I: General Narrative" with holograph annotation at conclusion; "Part II The First Text (Bomb to explode in the air)." Also detail of the "Second test (Under-water detonation)"; and "Part III: Remarks Concerning Our Fellow Observers" regarding their impressions of the dynamic between the foreign observers. Plus a Mimeographed Manuscript, 9¼pp, 8¼"x10½", Summer 1946. Signed on cover page by Commander Noble. Titled "Commander / Joint Army-Navy Task Force One / Presents / Operation Crossroads / Able and Baker Day Tests / Bikini Atoll-Summer 1946." With several penciled revisions and corrections.This report details at length the preparations, personnel; ships involved; and initial results. In very small part, "...It is therefore essential that our designers, tacticians, strategists and medical officers learn as much as possible now regarding the effect of this revolutionary weapon on targets not heretofore exposed to it. Without the information...your military leaders cannot discharge their responsibilities which you have assigned them. To find this information is the objective of Operation Crossroads." Noble describes these tests succinctly and the results of the explosions. "... Only by unleashing the destructive force of atomic energy against an array of ships could the Navy determine the future ship design of modern naval seapower. The...directive...required that the ninety ships anchored in Bikini lagoon be so disposed as to secure graded ship damage ranging from maximum to minimum..These pictures of the descending water columns show the expanding cloud of spray and fog at the base of the column moving outward and covering the ships in the target array. Great quantities of radioactive water from the column descended upon the decks of the nearby vessels, and ship hulls a mile away were drenched by the wall of foaming water. This wall of lethal spray and fog eventually covered the entire target fleet...Despite the presence of radioactivity, safety patrols immediately entered the lagoon for a preliminary appraisal of the damage. In an effort to reduce dangerous contamination, ships were sprayed with water and special chemicals so that inspection parties could board them. The destroyer Hughes, her hull ruptured by the blast action, was beached on Enyu Island in sinking condition. ...the Japanese battleship Sagato...flooded and capsized five days after the blast. Seven and a half hours after the explosion, the aircraft carrier Saratoga, grand old fighting lady, sank as a result of heavy underwater hull damage... It must be remembered that the primary purpose of the Bikini experiments was to secure precise technical information which will be used to determine necessary changes in the design and construction of all military equipment and especially navy vessels. Only by such means can a defence against the Atomic weapon be organized. We must be fully prepared to protect our national security promptly and effectively in the event that we are attacked. We must defend ourselves against this new and elemental force, or be destroyed by it! This, is crossroads!" With these manuscripts are included two declassified Joint Task Force One photographs, b/w 10"x8" images of the explosions; plus three b/w 10"x8" group portraits including a) 19 UN official observers on board the USS Panamint signed by 17 of them above or near their images (list included); b)13 UN official observers at the Hotel Whitcomb, 12 of them identified within transcript; and c) a portrait of 37 of the passengers on the USS Panamint gathered at the Hotel Whitcomb. Related printed material include 2 diagrams, 7½"x10½", captioned "Schematic Diagram / Target AreaTest Baker / Operation Crossroads." Illustrates the area where the "Bomb will be detonated within this space" and indicating the approx disposition of ships in the target area at Bikini, one annotated "July 25th 1946" with other penned notes. Also Commander Noble's copy of blue buckram bound souvenir book, Panamint Parade "of the Bikini Bums" [USS Panamint, 1946], 81pp, 8"x10½", containing two foldout maps and numerous illustrations. Signed by Noble on verso of front free endpaper, adding "1946." A unique record of the activities of the United Nations observers, scientists and legislators aboard the USS Panamint during "Operation Crossroads" containing their brief biographies, cartoons and caricatures by Nabor Carrillo, a "Diary of Our Daily Doings," and photographs of their activities. Plus two unsigned pamphlets: "Atoms. A Lecture...Delivered in the Hulme Town Hall, Manchester, November 20, 1872" by Professor Clifford of Cambridge, 23pp, an offprint from the periodical Science Lectures for the People, Series No. 4, John Heywood, Manchester, 1872. Wraps loose. Also "Nuclear Weapons" published by the Home Office, Scottish Home Department. "Manual of Civil Defence" Pamphlet, Volume I, No. 1. 55pp, Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London: 1956. Containing 24 plates of illustrations depicting various nuclear explosions and instruments, and the devastation from atomic bombs at Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and a Nevada test site. The pamphlet discusses the nature of nuclear explosions, fire risk, radiation hazards, and protection against the fallout. Plus a Christmas card sent by journalist Edward Pickering of the Daily Express, Fleet Street, London, ca. 1950s. Editorializing on the illustrated front cover, pictured are six poster-size news billboards lined up against a wall, carrying the headlines: "Evening / Atom Bomb Latest, " "Sunday / Complete List of Wars," "Daily / Crime Waves Everywhere," " Sunday / Taxes May Be Double," "Daily / H Bomb on the Way," "Daily / Merry Xmas to All Our Readers." Other letters: TDS "I. I. Rabi" by physicist Isador Rabi, 1p, 8½"x11", Oct 30, 1949. Titled "An Opinion on the Development of the 'Super,'" Rabi sets out his reasoning that the United States and other countries should not develop "super" weapons on "fundamental ethical principles," citing the likely end results of such weaponization would far exceed military objectives and have the effect of genocide. He encourages all nations to sign a pledge, explaining: "If such a pledge were accepted even without control machinery, it appears highly probable that an advanced stage of development leading to a test by another power could be detected by available physical means. Furthermore, we have in our possession, in our stockpile of atomic bombs, the means for adequate 'military' retaliation..." TLS by Edward Teller, 1p, 5½"x8½", Stanford, CA, Jan 4, 1980. On Hoover Institution "On War, Revolution and Peace" letterhead responding to an admirer's inquiry. In part, "...I enjoy classical music, play the piano for recreation, and especially enjoy Mozart and Bach. I do have some difficulty in appreciating some types of modern art, but do enjoy Chinese pottery and porcelain. As to literature, I am very fond of Shakespeare's works and of Geothe, and enjoy reading a wide variety of books..." Berwick/Noble manuscript evidence general light toning and wear; occasional edge tears with small paper loss away from text. Generally in VG condition. Est: $1500-3000Presented by Signature HouseAuction House Signature House407 Liberty AveBridgeport, WV United States 26330304-842-3386RegistrationBidders are required to:a) Sign up for this auction& b) Complete bidding approval formApproval is at the discretion of the Auction House.Important! Read BEFORE Bidding EMAIL BLOCKAGE ALERT! We are experiencing increasing problems with our emails being blocked by eBay buyers. Make sure any Spam blocker or interceptor you use is set to permit email from the email address we use to send our invoices - system.signaturehouse@verizon.net. Also, many ISP's (e.g., AOL) use keyword blocking, which stops our invoices due to content. Make sure that you have this feature turned off or you won't get your invoice. eBay Crash Procedures In the unlikely event that technological difficulties prevent us from continuing our auction on eBay, our sale will continue as scheduled, without direct eBay participation. We will attempt to email all bidders who have already signed up for the sale, providing them with an email address to which they can submit their bids. In case of a crash, eBay is supposed to provide us with a list of any remaining absentee bids. If eBay is able to do so in a timely fashion, we will process these bids in the normal manner, bidding them incrementally against any other bids we receive. Sign-Up for Our Sale Before bidding in our auction, you must complete a simple Sign-Up & Registration procedure, entirely separate from regular eBay registration. NO Credit Card information is requested. Once approved you may bid on ALL of the lots in our auction. 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Sale & Bidding Procedures Signature House Auction XXXV will take place in two parts. Part 1 will be held on Saturday, October 11, 2008, beginning at 7:00 AM PST with Lot 1 and proceeding sequentially thru Lot 668. Part 2 will be held on Sunday, October 12, 2008, beginning at 7:00 AM PST with Lot 669 and proceeding sequentially thru Lot 2116. Short breaks will occur occasionally throughout the sale day. eBay's listed Auction Start and Remaining times apply to the auction as a whole, not to the individual lots in the auction. We sell approximately 50-70 lots per hour, so plan accordingly if you wish to bid live. Also, passed lots (lots that received no bids) may appear active for up to 12 hours after the auction start time, even though they are no longer available for bidding. Bidding in our auction is both live and via absentee bid. For several weeks prior to the sale, we accept absentee bids via phone, mail, fax, email and from our website. On the day(s) of the sale, we accept live bids from phone bidders and absentee & live bids from eBay Live Auction bidders. As is the normal case in live auctions, our Auctioneer frequently receives multiple, equal bids from a number of bidders simultaneously. The determination of which bid to accept is at the sole discretion of the Auctioneer. SPECIAL NOTES FOR LIVE EBAY BIDDERS: When bidding on a lot, you may be in competition with many other eBay bidders (both live and by proxy) as well as live phone bidders and absentee bids previously submitted to Signature House. If your EBAY USERID appears on your screen, then your bid got in, if something else appears, such as 'Live Auction Floor Bidder' or 'Live Internet Bidder', then someone else beat you to it. Absentee bids left on a lot with eBay are not received by the Auctioneer until the lot goes on the auction block. The absentee bids have no indication as to when they were left with eBay. Invoicing A 22.5% Buyer's Premium will be added to the Winning Bid. Shipping & Handling charges, based on weight, size & destination, will be added to the final invoice. MANDATORY Insurance, based on the Winning Bid plus Buyer's Premium, will be added to final invoice. Neither frames nor picture glass are covered by insurance. Sales Tax of 6% will be added to the final invoice of West Virginia residents only (unless a sales tax number is provided). Discounts - the Buyer's Premium will reduced as indicated below, subject to the restrictions listed. A Volume Purchase Discount will be calculated based on the total of the winning bids of all lots won by a buyer: TotalWinning Bids Buyer's Premiumis Reduced by No Discount $1,000 - 4,999 1.0% to 21.5% $5,000 - 9,999 2.0% to 20.5% $10,000 - 24,999 3.0% to 19.5% $25,000 - 49,999 4.0% to 18.5% $50,000 & over 5.0% to 17.5% Restrictions: Volume Discounts will be not be granted for Past Due payments If a lot returned under our 7 Day Return Guarantee reduces a buyer's Total Winning Bids to a lower Volume Discount level, the refunded amount will be adjusted accordingly. Same-as-Cash Payment Discount - the Buyer's Premium will be reduced by 2.5% for those buyer's who make their entire payment using a same-as-cash instrument (check or money order). Signature House's Golden Guarantee All material is returnable within 7 days providing it comes back in the same condition. After 7 days, the only acceptable condition for return is lack of authenticity. Framed items cannot be returned due to condition of mat or frame or defects not visible because of frame. Items removed from frame are not returnable. We offer a LIFETIME guarantee on authenticity to the original purchaser. The item must be returned with two letters denying its authenticity by expert authenticators acceptable to both parties. Each lot we sell is accompanied by a Signature House Certificate of Authenticity affirming authenticity and our Lifetime Guarantee. Questions Any and all questions should be submitted well in advance of the auction date so that we will have adequate time to respond. Questions received on the sale day(s) will most likely not be answered in a timely manner. After Sale Contact PLEASE DO NOT attempt to contact us on the day(s) of the sale - we will be extremely busy working the sale. Barring unanticipated difficulties, we will email you an invoice with totals and payment instructions a few days after the sale. Domestic invoices will be emailed on or before the Wednesday after the sale; Foreign invoices on or before the Thursday after the sale. Unless you have a problem, we would appreciate it if you DO NOT contact us before you receive our invoice - preparing several hundred invoices keeps us really tied up for a few days. We will use the email address supplied by eBay to contact you, so please make sure it is correct. If your invoice hasn't arrived by the Friday after the sale, please contact us immediately. Payment Payments are due in our hands within 2 weeks of invoice date, or the sale may be voided, at our discretion. Late payments will not be eligible for any available volume purchase discount. US Bidders: Business Checks, Cashier Checks, Personal Checks, Money Orders, PayPal, or Credit Card (AmEx, VISA, MasterCard, Discover) Note: The Buyer's Premium will be reduced by 2.5% for those buyer's who make their entire payment using a same-as-cash instrument (check or money order). Non-US Bidders: PayPal or Credit Card (AmEx, VISA, MasterCard, Discover) Shipping Multiple purchases are automatically combined to determine shipping costs Domestic shipping for packages valued $200 or less will be via USPS Priority Mail, over $200 via Fed Ex. Recipient's signature will be required for delivery. Foreign shipping will be via registered USPS Air Letter Post or via USPS Air Parcel Post, depending on weight, dimensions and destination country. Oversized, overweight and/or foreign shipments may be subject to additional charges. Based on workload, we make every effort to ship lots within 3-4 business days (MTWTF) of receipt of payment. Terms & ConditionsSIGNATURE HOUSE AUCTION XXXVTERMS & CONDITIONS OF SALE0) EBay Live Auction Bidders - Please read our listings carefully for detailed information.1) Absentee Bids will be accepted by phone, mail, fax, email and via our website until the closing date.2) Live Bids will be accepted during the sale via phone (callback only, prior reservations required) and from eBay Live Auctions.3) Buyer's Premium of 22.5% will be charged on the final hammer price of each lot.4) Bid Rejection - Signature House reserves the right to reject any bid for any reason.5) Withdrawal of Lots - Signature House reserves the right to withdraw any lot for any reason.6) Final Authority - The auctioneer reserves the right to be the final authority on all sales.7) Lot descriptions and grading conform to Manuscript Society criteria. Framed lots are not examined out of frame. Condition does not refer to mat or frame.8) Illustrations of lots in this catalog may have had size modifications or may have been trimmed to exclude framing, matting and wide blank margins for display purposes. Larger, full color illustrations are available on our website.9) Duplicate High Bids - In the event of duplicate high bids, the earliest bid received will be the winner. Please note that absentee bids left with www.ebayliveauctions.com do not reach the auctioneer until the lot opens during the live sale.10) Bidding - All bidding is conducted in a competitive manner. The winning bid will always be one bidding increment over the second highest bid. The minimum acceptable bid for any lot is 50% of the listed low estimate or $40, whichever is greater.11) Reserves - Some lots may carry a reserve beneath which the item will not be sold.12) Our Golden Guarantee:Returns - All material is returnable within seven days providing that it comes back in the same condition. After 7 days, the only acceptable condition for return is lack of authenticity. Framed items cannot be returned due to condition of mat or frame or defects not visible because of frame. Items removed from frame are not returnable.Lifetime Guarantee on authenticity to the original purchaser. The item(s) must be returned with two letters denying its authenticity by expert authenticators acceptable to both parties.13) Sales Tax of 6% will be charged to West Virginia residents unless a resale number is filed with us prior to the closing date of the sale.14) Payment is expected immediately upon receipt of invoice. All accounts are payable to Signature House in U.S. funds, via check (personal, business or cashier's), money order, credit card or PayPal (payable to ebaylive2@signaturehouse). For sales outside of the USA a credit card is requested.15) Shipping - Domestic shipping for packages valued $200 or less will be via USPS, over $200 via Fed Ex. Foreign shipping will be via registered Air Mail. Handling, shipping and mandatory insurance charges will be added to the invoice. Oversize and foreign shipments are subject to increased charges. All items will be shipped within three-four business days of receipt of payment. Neither frames nor picture glass are covered by insurance.16) The placing of a bid shall constitute acceptance of the preceding terms and conditions of sale.17) FINAL Auction results will NOT be available UNTIL the Wednesday after the sale.ShippingSee Important! Read BEFORE Bidding section above.Buyer's Premium22.5%PaymentSee Important! Read BEFORE Bidding section above.TaxesSee Important! Read BEFORE Bidding section above.ContractYour bid is a contract.Place a bid only if you're serious about buying the item. If you are the successful and winning bidder, you have entered into a legally binding contract to purchase the property bid on from the seller. 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