Operation Ivy and the Donald Whitman Collection

By Haley Frizzle-Green

Published November 25, 2024 at 8:00 AM CST

An image of a page from a diary describing the first test of a hydrogen bomb during Operation Ivy. It reads: Even through those dark glasses which practically blot out the sun I saw a blinding white flash, followed by a billowing red ball of flame shooting skyward, like a gas tank exploding. After the light grew dim (a few seconds), I removed the glasses and the mushroom began forming. The "stem" was a vertical updraft of flame and clouds, flowing into the mushroom shaped top. I shall never forget that stem. The speed with which the center was moving upward, taking the island, its sand and water, up with it. Within a few minutes, the top had reached 60,000 feet and was 60 miles across. When some of the power was gone, all the particles began to fall. — Burton Abeles' journal, 1952

Host and archivist Haley Frizzle-Green looks at the Donald Whitman Collection and the part a young man from the Ozarks played in one of the most significant events in history.

On January 31, 1950, President Truman made an announcement that would change the course of history. His order to increase nuclear weapons testing led to Operation Ivy, the first nuclear test involving a hydrogen bomb. Named “Ivy Mike,” the bomb was detonated in the Marshall Islands on November 1, 1952.

To help limit radioactive fallout, the United States Air Force created a weather observation team to monitor the islands’ weather conditions. Part of that team was Buffalo, Missouri, native Donald Whitman.

Whitman and his fellow servicemen witnessed the detonation of Ivy Mike while aboard USS Estes from a 30-mile distance. A second bomb was tested two weeks later, with Whitman and his team watching from a neighboring island only 12 miles away. In 2002, Whitman reunited with members of his Operation Ivy team to commemorate the 50^th anniversary and to memorialize those who were no longer with them. Whitman later passed away from cancer in 2008.

Weathermen on Marshall Islands holding a weather balloon, 1952

The Donald Whitman Collection contains photographs and documents related to Whitman’s service in the Air Force and his work in the Marshall Islands. The collection also includes a copy of his fellow serviceman’s diary describing both Operation Ivy explosions.

To explore this collection and more, visit the Springfield Research Center inside MSU’s Meyer Library or find us online at SHSMO.org.