Origins of the Nevada Test Site was written in conjunction with the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Nevada Test Site. The history was released at the official celebration held in Las Vegas, Nevada, on December 18, 2000, fifty years after President Harry S. Truman formally designated the site as the location for conducting nuclear weapons tests within the continental United States. The history represents a unique partnership between a field office and two headquarters offices of the U.S. Department of Energy. The DepartmentÕs Nevada Operations Office provided the initial impetus for the project and offered support and resources throughout the researching and writing of the history. The Office of Defense Programs of the DepartmentÕs National Nuclear Security Administration provided funding for printing the history.