241 SESSION V LANGHAM: If we put it on the microcurie basis, then it's 4/100 of a microcurie as compared with 1/10 for radium, Tomatoes, vines, cane stocks and all were taken to the edges of the field and hauled away to decide on disposal later. tion brings up the picture cornparable to the Japanese. UPTON: Crop destruc- These weren't killed by radiation? LANGHAM: These were killed by the Americans. FREMONT-SMITH: At this time was there any knowledge yet locally or internationally that... LANGHAM: Yes, but neither country had admitted it. FREMONT-SMITH: It was just known but not admitted? LANGHAM: Yes. It leaked out very fast but neither country would admit it. They admitted there was an accident, an airplane accident, but they wouldn't admit that any nuclear materials or nuclear weapone were involved. MeGaneee CTTGLRaee "e id cd Pianteeos Terres: 103wr FREMONT-SMITH: LANGHAM: Even though all of these was being swept up? That's right. DOBSON: Wright, what were the local people told? In what detail and by whom were they informed of the nature of the operation? LANGHAM: They were informed by the Civil Guard, whe seem to crawl out of the woodwork in Spain any time something happens. They were told by the representatives of the Spanish AEC and by our own people tu stay out of the fields until told to goin, And so they were excluded from going into their fields where their tomatoes were about ready to be picked. Obviously, this caused the usual bit of concern and talk and soon it began to get around that there was a radioactive substance in the field. So, one began to hear the villagers talking about radioactivity. Their knowledge of radiation effects stemmed from knowing that in Hiroshima and Nagasaki thousands of people died from an atomic bomb, and one was occasionally asked the question, as a matter of fact, are we going to die? When told no, this satisfied them so they wert away. Naturally this was a big thing in