July 11, 1951

John C. Clark

that should we approach a situation where the question of evacuation
micsht come up for active consideration, all of our available pcople will
be busy nomitorine, ctc, It will certainly not be the time to have these
pGopic woncering about how to gct children, pets, etc, into vehicl.s. I
do feel, however, that some organization should carry out specific
planning for possible evacuation of civilian groups in the surrounding
area.
It is absolutely essential that this be done in such a way as to
avoid frightening pcople unnccessarily. We do not wish to wear out our
welcome or otherwise jeopardize the cordial public relations currently
existing.
Technically spcaking, this is the sort of thins which should
be the responsibility of the Civil Defense organization on a State level,
although T doubt if any such organization actually exists.
3.

Permissible Exrosure

For both Operation Ranger and Opcration Greenhouse we used a pcrmissible
exposure of 3.0 r for the operation,

If it is agreeable with Dr. Warren,

we propose that this same level be used again.
Experience in the two
recent tests has shown this to be realistic and workable. We do not

consider it a calculated risk;

restrictive.

neither does it appear to be unduly

In this connection I might point out that certain workers at Greenhouse
actually cot more cxposure from fall-out than from opcrational activities,

This situation was totally unexpected, and wes more or less handlud by

studiously looking the other way, In other words, workers were not
credited with fall-out exvosure in determining the extent of their
activities, althouch it meant tiat a number of people came home with
quite significant total oxposures. In the cascs of Los Alamos personnel
this has been envered in their cxposure records. I do not feel that we
can afford to adopt a similar policy again.

(‘This does not imply

criticism of the decisions madc at Greenhouse).

I feel that using the 3,0 r permissible exposure for the operation does
not seriously violate the spirit of the AKC directive on this mattcr.
Actually we are giving ourselves a little lecway to permit the concurrent
beta cxposure which is not measured,
there has alrcady been expressed by some of the military groups the
feeling that they may not necessarily be bound by the same permissible
exposure levels as will be used for other workers;
they would like to

feel thet they can go ahcad and get higher cxoosurcs if they wish.

Certainly IT on my ovm responsibility cannot permit this; and as this
operation is being staged fundamentally by the AEC, I fecl that there
should be a specific directive covering this matter from Dr. Varren
personally, “ue can think of a for rare individual cases whcre leniency
might be permittcd, such es the pilot of a jet plane collceting air
samples,

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