The Name

Operation Ivy was the first name of Isocracy, but it was originaly the name of nuclear testing op. in 1950.

November 1, 1952, Operation Ivy, at Eniwetok Atoll, mankind enters the thermonuclear age with the detonation of the scientific device code named Mike.

According to the DNA Fact Sheet, Joint Task Force (JTF) 132 included a total of 11,650 personnel, 9,350 were military and 2300 civilian. The civilian and over 6,600 of the military operated from Eniwetok Atoll and task force ships. Most of the remaining military were Air Force personnel who were based at Kwajalein 360 nmi southeast of Eniwetok.

During the operation a single-place airplane used in air sampling was lost at sea with it's pilot. This led to the radiation exposure of 10 to 17 r for the 7 man aircrew who flew to assist the pilot. This crew crossed a zone of fallout in order to reach the area of the downed plane.

A crew of twelve in a second aircraft were overexposed when caught in fallout while on a photographic mission during the Mike shot.

JTF ships, Parry and Eniwetok islands all received fallout from the detonations of Mike and King shots. Of the 11,650 personnel, only 408 were said to have received no radiation during the operation.

President Harry S. Truman, in 1950 Said:
It is part of my responsibility as Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to see to it that our country is able to defend itself against any possible aggressor. Accordingly, I have directed the Atomic Energy Commission to continue work on all forms of atomic weapons, including the so-called hydrogen or super bomb. Like all other work in the field of atomic weapons, it is being and will be carried forward on a basis consistent with the over all objectives of our program for peace and security. This we shall continue to do until a satisfactory plan for international control of atomic energy is achieved. We shall also continue to examine all those factors that affect our program for peace and this country's security.