It is my great privilege to present to the world for the first time photographs of the atom bomb tests conducted at the Trinity Site in Socorro, New Mexico - now the White Sands Missile Range. The date was July 16, 1945. These images had been taken by and were kept by the father of my sister-in-law's husband. Mr. Cline (first name omitted for privacy). After his death a year ago, his wife gave the photos shown here to her son, Gary.
The story I have heard told is that Gary's father was at an Army processing station in Maryland, in line to board a bus for basic training, when some men walked up and began selecting people for special assignment to an undisclosed location. He might have had some electronics training prior to enlisting, so he was one of the ones chosen. He ended up spending World War II in the middle of the New Mexico desert. Although I either was never told or do not remember the details, the short story is that he worked with the Trinity team that exploded the world's first atomic bomb.
Somehow, he managed to have a camera on hand, and snapped the images shown below. The black-and-white photo must be inside the control center. I do not know whether he is in the picture, or took the picture. He might be the guy on the right, with his hand on a knob. Is that a cool shot of the equipment or what? Time in the shack: 3:29 (am or pm?)
Notice NBS (National Bureau of Standards) sign. NBS played a big role in the development of bombs and radio equipment during World War II. Mr. Cline worked for the NBS (later NIST) for many years as an electronics technician.
I contacted the director of the Harry S. Truman Library & Museum last summer (2007) on behalf of the Clines, after they showed the photos to me. From the moment I saw them, it was obvious that these images need to part of America's historical record. I have never seen such color images before. They might not be gold, but they are a National Treasure in their own respect. Many thanks to Gary and his mother for introducing me to these photographs. Please contact me, Kirt Blattenberger, if you are interested in interviewing Gary and/or his mother about these images (and the possibility of others).
