Atomic Tests in Nevada: The Story of AEC's Continental Proving Ground (1955)

If you were driving to Salt Lake City on US Highway 91, you passed through St. George, Utah, population 4,562, just a short way from the state line of Nevada. It's pre-dawn 5 in the morning. Pretty deserted at this hour. Everything is closed down. Everyone's asleep. Everyone, that is except a milkman. Been delivering over the same route for 12 years. Never missed a day. And a police officer patrols the lonely downtown beat. And another night owl keeps his place open 24 hours for tourists coming through. Since the rest of the town was sound asleep, only our night owl saw it. That great flash in the western sky. An atomic bomb at the Nevada test site 140 mi to the west. But it's old stuff to St. George. Routine. They've seen a lot of them ever since 1951. Nothing to get excited about anymore. [Music] As this thriving community went about its business, youngsters on their way to school, housewives starting on the chores of the day, merchants opening their doors, and the folks at home listening to the radio program. Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program to bring you important news. Word has just been received from the Atomic Energy Commission that due to a change in wind direction, the residue from this morning's atomic detonation is drifting in the direction of St. George. It is suggested that everyone remain indoors for 1 hour or until further notice. There is no danger. This is simply routine Atomic Energy Commission safety procedure to prevent unnecessary exposure to radiation. It is better to take cover during this period. Parents need not be alarmed about children at school. No recesses outdoors will be permitted. Please stay indoors and advise your friends and neighbors who may not hear this announcement to do likewise. And as the people at St. George took cover. It was natural that some of them had questions about atomic tests. Questions like why do we have to test bombs? And the answers are found in still another question. The question of national survival. For testing of atomic weapons goes on for a vital reason, our national defense. We have no choice. To fall behind any other nation in atomic progress is a national risk. To assure our defense, we have to keep our atomic strength at top level by testing new ideas and principles and applying these principles in weapons. That's why we have the Nevada Test Site. It's sort of a backyard workshop, the most unusual scientific workshop in the world. 640 square miles of desert and mountains, 65 miles northwest from Las Vegas, set in some of the loneliest acres the world has ever seen. But this barren region is not barren of brains. Some of the outstanding minds of the nation work in the sprawling outdoor laboratory. The scientists who have harnessed this great force and opened the door to the atomic age. the military men who may have to apply this force in the defense of our nation. Technicians who assemble the complex instruments and equipment, and lots of others who build, who plan, who record, who maintain security and the countless tasks essential to this important project. These men are here for a vital purpose. Since we have no atomic monopoly, we must continue to increase our knowledge of atomic weapons to guarantee maximum military atomic strength. But naturally, the folks in St. George, as they look upon their silent city, wonder why weapons are tested inside the United States instead of the far Pacific area. The answer is, we need both testing areas. In the vast isolated reaches of the Mid Pacific, we test weapons of tremendous strength. Only smaller bombs are tested inside the United States. These smaller devices, just as important to America's weapon strength as the larger ones, could not be tested so quickly if they had to be taken to the Pacific proving ground about 5,000 m from our western coast. A Pacific test is quite a job. Past operations out there involved 9,000 men, like two complete cities of St. George, and food and supplies to maintain those men. Obviously, an operation like this takes time, months and months of time, while atomic progress waits. So, our need is pressing for a nearby test site, a place where nuclear tests can be made frequently, quickly, and more economically. And thus in 1951, the Nevada test site was set up for the first in a series of continental tests that are part of our continuing atomic program. Because the Nevada test site is close in, scientists conduct a test on one day and return to their laboratories on the next to start evaluating results immediately. This greatly speeds up our weapons development program. Those problems that cannot be solved in a laboratory are taken to the outdoor workshop in Nevada. This is called ground zero. Around the center point of the explosion are located instruments and equipment that are part of diagnostic experimentation, which is scientific language, meaning, well, what happened? Did the idea work? And as you might expect, there are some humdingers in the way of gadgets. Some we cannot describe for security's sake. Some we can mention, like the high-speed camera that takes pictures at 13 millionth of a second, or the instruments that measure heat in millions of degrees and the light intensity hundreds of times brighter than the suners before, during, and after. While most field tests are held largely to answer the questions of the scientists, these tests are also designed to answer as many other questions as possible. The armed forces, for instance, they've got to know. Military scientists conduct experiments to record and evaluate effects of atomic weapons. For training purposes, military personnel observe from foxholes. We also need to know if military equipment can take it. All types are positioned at varying distances from ground zero. Structures also play an important part not only in military studies but also in civil defense programs to determine blast and heat effects. Family type dwellings are constructed right on the site. Civil defense is also concerned with the value of automobiles as shelters in an atomic attack. Biomemed tests using animals such as mice and pigs for research subjects are conducted to gain important information about radiation effects on cells and tissue. And a lot of other government agencies also set up special tests and experiments. Finally, the work is done. Preparations are completed. Another valuable test is ready. Shot day is tomorrow morning. The early morning air is cool, crisp. The outdoor laboratory workshop is deserted, silent. A series of activities now proceed on a pre-arranged schedule. Notice sent to all nearby communities that the shot will go as scheduled. Planes take to the air for sampling, tracking, and photography. In ample time before the shot, mobile monitoring teams are directed to the path of the radiation fallout as predicted by the weather forecast. At their stations in the control point, perhaps 8 mi from the tower, are the key men of the test, the scientists. To them, this is the payoff, the climax of careful planning and preparation. The test pattern is complete. Attention please. Minus 15 [Music] seconds. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 zero. [Music] The Tower of Steel is now only a tower of smoke. This was a civil defense house. Here was the first row of automobiles. This was a tank. This was a jeep. This was a jet plane. This a bomber. These were structures. At the site, radiological safety teams monitor the radiation level. Now, scientists recover instruments that have recorded what you might call the fingerprints of nuclear fishision. For these imprints answer questions that will speed our progress in weapon development and efficiency. But is all this difficult work worthwhile. Is the Nevada test site living up to expectations? The answer is yes. We have come a long, long way in a few years. Not only do we have a large stockpile of heavy weapons for our big bombers, but also smaller atomic bombs for jet fighters to carry for tactical purposes. and atomic artillery to support frontline troops. Gathering strength for the long-term defense of freedom, we now have a family of weapons for a broad range of military uses to discourage aggression, to support peace, and their number, variety, and efficiency has been greatly increased. Without a continental test site, we would now find ourselves years behind our present atomic development. And this is why the Nevada test site is absolutely essential as a backyard workshop. Okay. So, Nevada is important. So, we have to test bombs out there for national defense. But what's being done about the safety of the public? Well, to answer this question, to understand the extensive precautions taken for public safety, let's go to the control point, the nerve center of the outdoor laboratory. The test organization staff is meeting as it does before every shot. Go or no go? That's the question before the test manager and his advisers, experts in the fields of biology and medicine, public health, meteorology, and blast. Before a nuclear device is detonated, every possible precaution is taken for safety. Public safety is the main consideration. There are three factors to consider. First, light. The brilliant flash can cause momentary blindness to a pilot or to a motorist. Aircraft are warned through civil aeronautics authority of the zone closed to air traffic at all altitudes. Motorists are temporarily halted on nearby highways. The second factor is blast. As a further careful precaution, relatively small charges of high explosive are set off at 1 and 2hour intervals before the atomic detonation. Sensitive scientific instruments at various points around the test site record the results of the high explosive blast, thus enabling the test organization to predict the effect and direction of the blast from the upcoming atomic detonation. Minor damage is minimized by warning communities to open windows and doors to equalize pressure. And of course, the test itself will be postponed if it appears that a community might be hit hard by blast. The third effect is radiation. Let's consider radioactivity and the weather conditions which determine what happens to it. As the test staff considers all vital factors involved in the test operation, of top importance is the weather forecast. Weather as well as technical factors are reviewed and evaluated by the experts in arriving at a decision. If conditions seem unfavorable or become so at any time up to 10 minutes before shot time, the test is postponed. If conditions seem favorable and safe, in order to proceed as issued after a shot has been fired, the atomic cloud, like a giant vacuum cleaner, has sucked up dirt and debris from the Earth and is full of radioactive particles. Is it dangerous? Yes, right now it is. You wouldn't want to go into it, but neither would you deliberately walk into a blazing fire. You have to use common sense. There may be an area of real danger which may extend a few miles from ground zero. This is one reason why entry into the test site is restricted. Helicopters warn hunters, hikers, and desert migrants to avoid the test site region. Yes, livestock grazing within a few miles of the site of detonation have in a few instances suffered skin and eye injuries from radiation, but otherwise were in good health. Justified claims by owners have been compensated. Extensive studies have concluded that animals grazing at greater distances have not been injured by radiation. The AEC will continue to give advanced notice to livestock owners. To minimize the area of real danger and reduce the fallout outside the control area, only relatively small nuclear devices are tested in Nevada, leaving the larger detonations to the Pacific. As the cloud moves out, it becomes dispersed and at the same time, its radioactivity rapidly decreases. Past experience has shown that some activity will be detected across the country. The important thing is to keep the amount of radioactive contamination to as low a level as possible for human exposure. This is not left to chance. At the control point, the path of the cloud is charted with the greatest possible accuracy. This can be done because the cloud leaves a trail as it moves along. a trail of radioactive particles that can be detected and measured. Some of the tiny radioactive particles settle back to Earth as the wind disperses the cloud. These particles are called fallout. The bulk of the particles soon fall out and the cloud disappears. An invisible remnant of radioactive material is lifted high, wide, and far by the winds, eventually settling to Earth. But radioactive fallout beyond several miles from the test site has not been known to be serious. It has not constituted an appreciable danger to persons, animals, crops, property, or industry. We must remember that radiation is not a new thing on this earth of ours. Since the beginning of time, the Earth has been bombarded by radiation from outer space. Cosmic rays and high energy particles rain down from space upon each and every one of us every second of our lives. We are also struck by radiation from the materials in the earth itself. All this is known as background radiation. It is part of nature. We can't control it. Radiation from fallout temporarily adds to this background level. It is the total amount of radiation that is important. That is why very careful considerations are given for firing every atomic test shot so that the fallout will add as little radiation as possible to that of natural background sources. Yes, the very nature of testing weapons for national defense requires we accept the possibility of some exposure to additional radiation. There is some potential risk, but this additional radiation has been kept far below harmful amounts in areas beyond a few miles outside the test site boundaries. The rigid requirements controlling the firing of each nuclear device have made this control possible. To provide even further assurance, radiation monitoring teams are continually on the job during the test periods guarding the safety of the public. In fact, a monitoring system on a national scale has been established to keep track of the movement and direction of the cloud. Monitoring is not confined just to areas near the test site. Moving outward from the outdoor laboratory, you would find 15 fixed air sampling stations in the vicinity of the test site and special mobile monitoring teams operated jointly by the Atomic Energy Commission and the US Public Health Service. These teams must be able to move quickly into the projected path of the atomic cloud. Instruments and equipment are set up to determine the background radiation level before the cloud arrives and readings are continued for several days after the cloud has passed. Special Air Force planes follow the cloud approximately 600 miles from the test site. Reports from all mobile monitoring teams are flashed regularly by radio and phone to the control point at the test site. This information is used effectively in many ways, such as keeping public health officials informed in the states adjacent to the test site. Through the cooperation of about 100 US weather bureau stations, samples of the atomic cloud are collected on gummed paper throughout the United States and sent to AEC's Health and Safety Laboratory in New York City for counting. These samples from many localities of the United States are processed and at a glance we know how much fallout dropped in every section of the country. This information is for the use of health authorities, research people, scientists, industry using sensitive materials. It is given to the US weather bureau whose meteorological specialists further evaluate and analyze the fallout reports. These reports, incidentally, are extremely useful to meteorologists in the study of wind currents and the movement of air masses. Radiation in the air acts like dye placed in water. It can be traced. Its direction and speed can be recorded. Some people think atomic bombs can affect the weather. Following extensive studies, no relationship between atomic detonations and weather has been established. An atomic bomb is puny compared to the forces of nature and is completely lost in the vast oceans of the sky. What then was the story at St. George? Here are the facts. The go or no go meeting after carefully reviewing all factors found conditions were favorable. The go-ahead signal was given and the shot fired the following morning. The predicted path of fallout was to the south of the city. Then the local wind changed and the cloud approached the city. The word was spread throughout the community and the citizens calmly took cover. 1 hour and 50 minutes later at 11:25 a.m. the allclear announcement was broadcast. Actually, when the invisible cloud had passed, the total amount of radiation deposited on St. George was far from hazardous. Then you may ask why were the people asked to stay indoors? For a very simple reason, the Atomic Energy Commission doesn't take chances on safety. It is the AEC's policy to keep to a minimum any exposure of persons to radiation. This wide safety margin controls AEC's attitude toward radiation involved in any of its activities. So the citizens of St. George were asked to go indoors to avoid unnecessary exposure. The amount of radioactivity that fell on St. George was not dangerous, but the AEC felt the precaution to avoid exposure was good common sense. Such caution will continue to govern operations relative to the Nevada test site. With this rigid standard of safety, testing of atomic weapons must go on. Orderly, well-conceived testing must continue. The testing of atomic weapons at Nevada is essential in the world of today to our existence as a nation. The towering cloud of the atomic age is a symbol of strength, of defense, of security for freedom loving people everywhere. people who want [Music] peace. For as President Eisenhower has pointed out to all the world, this country, which is building a full-scale atomic power plant, wants nuclear energy to serve the needs of mankind, deeply desires and is working to help create an international atomic energy agency to adapt nuclear energy to all the arts of peace.