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THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE, WASHINGTON.
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Recent radioactivity measurements in Norway.
In response to the Embassy's inquiry (prompted by recent press
stories),Dr. Terleeg HVINDEN, head of the Physics Division of the
Norwegian Defense Research Institute, today gave the Embassy the
enclosed record of radieactive fallout measurements made in Norway
during July, August and September. Dr. Hvinden said that the peaks
shown are the highest ever recorded here.
He supposes that they
reaulted from the Soviet tests made in late August and early September (August 24 and 30 and September 2 and 9 or 40, plus any
-~dhers not announced).
"secret",
The Institute classified the enclesure
Dr. Hvinden stated that he wuld appreciate, as quickly as
ossible, the comments of the AEC (Drs. Dunham andHarley) on the
significance of the data indicated on the attached diagram, with
particular reference to the I 131 and the Sr 89 aspects.
He added that the polyethylen pot method, not "sticky paper",
was used to obtain these data.
Referring to a Nationen(Agrarian)
story of September 20 to
the effect that "sensational" evidence of increased radioactivity
in Svalbard (Spitsbergen) had been discovered, Dr. Hvinden said that
the press story was nonsense and that nothing remarkable had been
found on analyzing snow and ice samples brought back recently by
the Norwegian Polar I:stitute expedition as a routine matter.
He
added tht Dr. MMEXXEEY M@LLER, head of the Defense Ressanch
Institute,was, however, quite annoyed with Hationen for political
reasons, for linking the names of Svalbard an
s institute
(despite the fact that no one from his Institute had gone to
Svalbard).
For the Ambassador:
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Counselor of Embassy...
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