Why did the United States choose Bikini and Enewetak atolls for nuclear testing?

The United States selected Bikini and Enewetak atolls for nuclear testing primarily because they were considered a suitably remote region in the central Pacific Ocean. Following the conclusion of World War II, the U.S. military sought to further develop its nuclear arsenal to signal strength and readiness, viewing these sparsely populated coral atolls as ideal locations for such experiments.1

After the U.S. military drove Japanese forces from the region in 1944, the atolls came under the administration of the U.S. Navy. The sites were subsequently designated as the Pacific Proving Ground for the Atomic Energy Commission, necessitating the forced relocation of the native inhabitants. Between 1946 and 1958, the U.S. conducted 67 nuclear tests at these locations, which resulted in severe, lasting radioactive contamination and the displacement of local populations.2134