UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA
CROCKER LABORATORY
BERKELEY 4, CALIFORNIA
JGH-56-110
November 1, 1956
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Dr. Charles L. Dunham, Director
Division of Biology and Medicine
U. S. Atomic Energy Commission
Washington 25,
D.C.
Dear Chuck:
A little over two weeks ago Dr. Nathaniel Berlin of the Special
Weapons Project dropped in to see me and asked for an evaluation of
the hazards concerned with the accidental release of a plutonium bomb.
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He asked me to read two reports, LA-1981 and LA-2079. The Information Division only had the first report available by Wright
Langham and his group. This report was somewhat incomplete. Last
week I was at Oak Ridge attending a meeting of the Health Physics
group, and Langham was present. I mentioned the above to him, and
he said the preliminary report was prepared in great haste, and he
knew it was not as complete as it should have been. These circumstances were not of his own making, but rather due to questions that were
being asked at higher echelons. Langham went on further to say that La-2079
was a more complete report. Recently I went over the two reports and sent
' to Berlin an evaluation of my opinions concerning the accidental release
of this type of muclear device. To avoid duplication of distribution of
classified material I am not sending a copy of my report written to Berlin
to you, but it will be available at his office if you care to see it. In
essence, I said I felt that the hazards involved were not large enough to
justify making use of this particular device, and that the calculated
risk involved was small. The principal concern would be prompt immobilization of the plutonium by use of fire-hoses and other conventional methods
of containing alpha active material.
I have known Langham personally for the past 1 years, and I feel
he is a sound and conservative individual with good judgment. Actually,
I discussed the matter very briefly with him.
to obtain the second report.
My principal concern was
The reason I bring this to your attention is that if there are any
questions asked of you about this matter, you will understand that the
opinions which I gave to Dr. Berlin were based on the two manuscripts
____________and
detailed discussion between Langham and myself.
PASSOTIO Caiictibiv
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Sincerely,
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Copy to:
1/1A - Dr. Charles Dunham, AEC
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Hamilton, M.D.
77
Director, Crocker Laboratory