British nuclear testing in the United States would be foregone, and the Americans were under no obligation to make the test site available for subsequent tests. Also, as Lord Cherwell noted, an American test meant that "in the lamentable event of the bomb failing to detonate, we should look very foolish indeed." In the end, Monte Bello was chosen, and the first British atomic bomb was tested there in Operation Hurricane on 3 October 1952. The next British test series, Operation Totem, was conducted at Emu Field in South Australia, but at their conclusion, the British government formally requested a permanent testing site from the Australian government,
Operation Tumbler–Snapper weapons developments. The military exercise "Desert Rock IV", involving 7350 soldiers, took place during the test series. They trained during the "Charlie", "Dog", and "George" shots and observed shot "Fox". Operation Tumbler–Snapper Operation Tumbler–Snapper was a series of atomic tests conducted by the United States in early 1952 at the Nevada Test Site. The "Tumbler-Snapper" series of tests followed "Operation Buster-Jangle", and preceded "Operation Ivy". The "Tumbler" phase, sponsored by the Atomic Energy Commission consisted of three airdrops which were intended to help explain discrepancies in the actual and estimated blast shock wave damage noted on previous detonations, and to