The Plutonium Files (83 page)

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Authors: Eileen Welsome

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9
extremely sharp pains: G. S. Feher, “X-ray Consultation Request,” May 6, 1945, Stevens m.r.

10
another put it at forty: “Abstract of Hospital Record,” n.d., FOIA.

11
local physician suspected: UCSF Ad Hoc Fact Finding Committee,
World War II Human Radiation Experiments,
Appendix 18, p. 2.

12
$5.25 a day: Ibid.

13
suggested a gastroscopy: Ibid.

14
Kenneth Scott, the chubby: Scott OH, p. 49.

15
animal tumors with LSD: Ibid., p. 64.

16
“beer party”: Scott OH, p. 13.

17
“carcinogenic dose”: Int. Patricia Durbin, July 6, 1992.

18
five rats were injected: Crowley et al.,
Metabolism of Plutonium in Man and the Rat,
p. 2.

19
Earl Miller injected: Scott OH, p. 49.

20
acting chief of the radiology: Miller OH, DOE/OHRE, pp. 66, 83.

21
“I never, never, never”: Int. Earl Miller, May 3, 1995.

22
“These people”: Miller OH, ACHRE, p. 240.

23
“huge, ulcerating, carcinomatous mass”: “Description of Operation,” June 6, 1945, Stevens m.r.

24
specimens were handed: UCSF,
World War II Human Radiation Experiments,
Appendix 18, p. 8.

25
“special studies”: Ibid.

26
“The patient withstood”: S. Johnson, “Description of Operation,” May 31, 1945, Stevens m.r.

27
“saved for Mr. Scott”: UCSF,
World War II Human Radiation Experiments,
Appendix 18, p. 8.

28
“All specimens going”: Ibid., p. 9.

29
“benign gastric ulcer”: James F. Rinehart, “Pathological Report,” May 18, 1945, Stevens m.r.

30
“radical procedure”: UCSF,
World War II Human Radiation Experiments,
Appendix 18, p. 8.

31
“he just didn’t have it”: Scott OH, p. 48.

32
“I thought they were morally”: Scott OH, pp. 47–49.

33
document declassified in 1994: T. S. Chapman to Area Engineer, “Human Experiments,” Dec. 30, 1946, ACHRE.

34
“Kenneth [Scott] and I”: Hamilton to Stone, July 7, 1945, Barton Bernstein personal papers, p. 1.

35
“financial embarrassment”: Joseph Howland to Area Engineer, “Status of Experimental Subject,” July 12, 1945, Carton 28, Folder 41, JGH.

36
“They sent an intern”: Welsome, “Plutonium Experiment,” p. 23.

37
“My mother and I”: Ibid.

38
“The fate of plutonium”: Crowley et al.,
Metabolism of Plutonium in Man and the Rat,
p. 1.

39
“Four days after”: Ibid., p. 2.

40
“the problem of chronic plutonium”: Ibid., p. 7.

41
“It contains material”: C. L. Marshall to W. H. Zinn, “Document Refused Declassification,” May 23, 1947, Carton 5, Folder 12, JGH.

C
HAPTER 10

1
Nobel laureate James Franck: Compton,
Atomic Quest,
p. 235.

2
“There were few who sensed”: Ibid., p. 241.

3
“Now before the war”: Stafford Warren OH, p. 784.

4
called Project TR: Hawkins,
Project Y,
p. 234.

5
“Everybody was too busy”: Stafford Warren OH, p. 783.

6
“hangers on”: Friedell OH, JNS, p. 3.

7
“In spite of all this”: Joseph O. Hirschfelder, “Scientific-Technological Miracle at Los Alamos,” in Badash et al., eds.,
Reminiscences of Los Alamos,
p. 75.

8
Warren’s “chief helpers”: Ibid., p. 75.

9
“We suddenly discovered”: Stafford Warren OH, p. 792.

10
“I asked for a couple of hundred”: Ibid., p. 797.

11
ferry four psychiatrists: Ibid., p. 804.

12
“One of the big problems”: Ibid., p. 780.

13
“or I will hang you”: Szasz,
Day the Sun Rose Twice,
p. 77.

14
“Let’s synchronize watches”: Lamont,
Day of Trinity,
p. 222.

15
“Keep this line open”: Ibid.

16
“They were embarrassed”: Stafford Warren OH, pp. 805–806.

17
“Now I am become Death”: Kunetka,
City of Fire,
p. 170.

18
“When I went to Warren’s”: Groves,
Now It Can Be Told,
p. 299.

19
“You boys must have been”: Hirschfelder, “Scientific-Technological Miracle,” p. 77.

20
“They told me”: Int. William Wrye, June 29, 1998.

21
sedan with a flat tire: Grilly OH, p. 21.

22
four roentgens per hour: Hirschfelder, “Scientific-Technological Miracle,” p. 78.

23
“By being at Bingham”: Hemplemann, “Itinerary of Trip Made by Colonel Warren, Captain Whipple and L. H. Hempelmann on 12 August 1945” (CIC 90351), p. 3.

24
“being covered with light snow”: Hempelmann, Memo to Files, “Trip to ranches of [deleted] and Mr. [deleted] on Sunday, 11th, November 1945” (CIC 90368), p. 2.

25
“nervousness, tightness in the chest”: Hempelmann, “Itinerary of Trip,” p. 3.

26
“slightly anemic”: Hempelmann, “Trip to ranches,” p. 1.

27
“One of the dogs”: Ibid., p. 2.

28
forty-seven roentgens: Hacker,
Dragons Tail,
p. 104.

29
“I was slick-faced”: Int. William Wrye, June 29, 1998.

30
“According to neighbors”: Hempelmann to files, “Follow-up of Outlying Area Contaminated by Trinity Cloud,” Dec. 1, 1945 (CIC 90369), pp. 2–3.

31
discovered 1,100 miles away: Szasz,
Day the Sun Rose Twice,
p. 135.

C
HAPTER
11

1
“I can’t stand”: Int. Don Mastick, Aug. 6, 1998.

2
Morrison would sit: Cong. hearing,
Atomic Energy,
1945, pp. 234–235.

3
“prompt and utter destruction”: Rhodes,
Making of the Atomic Bomb,
p. 692.

4
“The mushroom itself”: Ibid., p. 711.

5
“The banks of the river”: P. Siemes, “Eyewitness Account,” Vol. 1, Physical Damage, Hiroshima, Japan. Prepared by Major Noland Varley, 77-VH, Records of Office of Chief of Engineer, Box 1, NA, p. 13.

6
“small piece of the sun”: Cong. hearing,
Atomic Energy,
1945, pp. 236–237.

7
“A human dam!”: Chie Setoguchi, “The Human Dam,” in
Testimonies of the Atomic Bomb Survivors,
p. 13.

8
“like a tattered old rag”: Sumiteru Taniguchi, “Eternal Scars,” in ibid., p. 46.

9
As she felt the heat: Hisae Aoki, “Back from Death’s Doorstep,” in ibid., pp. 82–93.

10
most anguishing experience: “Translator’s Note,” ibid., pp. iv–v.

11
“employ a new and most cruel bomb”: Rhodes,
Making of the Atomic Bomb,
p. 745.

12
another round of interviews: Stafford Warren OH, p. 615; Hempelmann, “Itinerary of Trip,” p. 1.

13
Daghlian left the regular: Paul Aebersold et al., “Report on Accident of Aug. 21, 1945, at Omega Site,” Aug. [day illegible], 1945, LANL, p. 2.

14
Suddenly the brick: Ibid., p. 3.

15
eight people were exposed: Hempelmann to Files, “Accident Report at Omega,” July 6, 1945, LANL.

16
“tingling sensation”: Aebersold et al., “Report on Accident,” p. 3.

17
“grease gauze dressings”: “Attending Physician’s Report,” Labor and Industrial Commission of New Mexico, Department of Claims, Sept. 1, 1945, LANL.

18
“The death toll at Hiroshima”: Stoff, Fanton, and Williams, eds.,
The Manhattan Project,
pp. 258–262.

19
“Number dead or injured”: Wyden,
Day One,
p. 325.

20
“like kittens with paper shoes”: G. Millard Hunsley, “Big Saucer-Like Crater Marks Site of Bomb Test,”
AJ,
Sept. 12, 1945, p. 1.

21
“The tour’s purpose”: Howard M. Blakeslee, “Party of Newsmen Inspects Scene Near Alamogordo,”
AJ,
Sept. 12, 1945, p. 1.

22
“There were evidences”: Ibid., p. 2.

23
“there would be no indirect”: Ibid., p. 2.

24
“It seemed certain”: “New Mexico’s Atomic Bomb Crater,”
Life,
Sept. 24, 1945, pp. 27–31.

25
“give us the maximum”: Cong. hearing,
Atomic Energy,
1945, p. 42.

26
on September 19, General MacArthur: Wyden,
Day One,
p. 326.

27
“When we got there”: Stafford Warren OH, p. 647.

28
“oozing that continued to death”: Stafford Warren, “The Role of Radiology,” p. 901.

29
“prove there was no radioactivity”: Donald Collins, “Pictures from the Past,” in Kathren and Ziemer, eds.,
Health Physics: A Backward Glance,
p. 41.

30
“It often took an hour”: Cong. hearing,
Atomic Energy,
1945, pp. 511–512.

31
“I think the radiation”: Ibid., p. 513.

32
number of people killed: Hacker,
Dragon’s Tail,
p. 113.

33
“When we came out the other side”: Shields Warren OH, p. 70.

34
ketsueki … ikutsu:
Shields Warren diary, Boston University, Mugar Memorial Library, Special Collections, Box 3, Sept. 25, 1945.

35
“Rats, flies, mosquitoes”: Ibid.

36
“Few transfusions given”: Ibid.

37
“A greater number of injuries”: Shields Warren, “Pattern of Injuries Produced by the Atomic Bombs,”
Naval Medical Bulletin,
p. 1350.

38
The first troops: DNA fact sheet, “Hiroshima and Nagasaki Occupation Forces,” pp. 10, 12.

39
“I don’t know what the purpose”: Int. Bill Griffin, May 1, 1996.

40
“The radioactive casualty”: Cong. hearing,
Atomic Energy,
1945, p. 37.

41
“We had no operating accidents”: Ibid., p. 56.

42
“There is none”: Ibid., p. 33.

43
“There was no radioactivity damage”: Ibid., p. 36.

44
“If the bomb had exploded”: Ibid., p. 37.

45
“few tens of millirem”: Int. D. Michael Schaeffer, May 2, 1996.

C
HAPTER
12

1
“Everybody had parties”: Feynman, “Los Alamos from Below,” in Badash et al., eds.,
Reminiscences of Los Alamos,
p. 132.

2
“If atomic bombs”: Hawkins,
Project Y,
pp. 260–261.

3
Bradbury agreed: Bradbury, “Los Alamos—The First 25 Years,” in Badash et al.,
Reminiscences of Los Alamos,
p. 161.

4
“that the situation seems”: LANL,
Radiation Protection,
p. 201.

5
“the patient was ambulatory”: Goldring to Langham, Sept. 19, 1945, FOIA.

6
“We just loved to talk”: Int. Mary Frances Cade Derr, May 21, 1996.

7
“I believe the old days”: Chris Gachet, “Her 107th Birthday Like Any Other Day,”
Hickory (NC) Daily Record,
July 8, 1981, p. B-1.

8
plutonium did not seem to concentrate: Russell and Nickson,
Distribution and Excretion of Plutonium,
p. 27.

9
“It got to the point”: Welsome, “Plutonium Experiment,” p. 26.

10
6,400 rem: LANL,
Radiation Protection,
pp. 198–199.

11
developed a list: Nickson,
Report of Conference on Plutonium,
pp. 1–4.

12
“the medico-legal aspect”: Langham to Friedell, May 21, 1945, ACHRE.

13
lowered the tolerance: Langham et al., “The Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory’s Experience with Plutonium,”
Health Physics,
pp. 753–754.

14
“It has been indicated”: Stafford Warren to Kenneth Nichols, “Purpose and Limitations of the Biological and Health Physics Research Program,” April 17, 1945 (CIC 719448).

C
HAPTER 13

1
larger, planned study: Andrew Dowdy to William Bale, “Metabolism Studies,” June 5, 1945, FOIA.

2
“they were loyal American”: No author, “The Rochester Story,” n.d., DOE-OR (296).

3
“He, of course, was”: Stafford Warren OH, p. 410.

4
“activated” the ward: Samuel Bassett to Bale, “Proposal of Work for Metabolism Section,” Dec. 2, 1947, ACHRE, p. 1.

5
—126: “numerous conversations”: Langham, “Revised Plan of Product’ Part of Rochester Experiment” (ACHRE No. DOE-121294-D), p. i.

6
only two subjects: Ibid., p. 1.

7
“human product”: Hannah E. Silberstein to Langham, Oct. 25, 1945 (ACHRE No. DOE-121294-D-19), p. 1.

8
“At the meeting it seemed”: Langham, “Revised Plan,” p. 2.

9
“We considered doing”: Rex Graham, “Scientists Shunned N-Tests on Employees,”
AJ
(north edition), April 5, 1994, p. 1.

10
“The period of indoctrination”: Bassett, “Excretion of Plutonium Administered Intravenously to Man,” n.d. (ACHRE No. DOE-121294-D-10), p. 2.

11
“any leakage which might”: Ibid., p. 3.

12
Lieutenant Valentine perform: Langham, “Revised Plan,” p. 7.

13
Bassett made the first: Silberstein to Langham, Oct. 23, 1945 (ACHRE No. DOE-121294-D-19), p. 1.

14
“quite positive”: “Comments on meeting with Dr. Hempelmann on April 17, 1974,” FOIA, p. 1.

15
“deliberate decision” was made: Ibid.

16
“well preserved for his years”: Bassett, “Excretion of Plutonium,” p. 14. 127 two fig trees: Welsome, “Six More Test Victims Revealed,”
AT,
March 5, 1994, p. 6.

17
“with no ill effects”: Silberstein to Langham, Oct. 23, 1945, ACHRE, p. 1.

18
red-haired Irishman: Welsome, “Six More Test Victims.”

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