CIVIL DEFENSE

Part I Atomic Shelter Tests

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 1958

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

SUBCOMMITTEE ON MILITARY OPERATIONS,

OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS,

Washington, D. C.

The subcommittee met in room 1501-B, House Office Building, pursuant to adjournment, at 10:05 a. m., Hon. Chet Holifield (chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.

Present: Representatives Holifield, Riehlman, Lipscomb, and Minshall.

Also present: Herbert Roback, staff administrator; Carey Brewer, senior defense specialist; Paul Ridgely, and Robert McElroy, investigators.

Mr. HOLIFIELD The hearing will be in order.

For the past several years this subcommittee has been engaged in studies and investigations concerning the civil defense needs of the United States. In July 1956 this subcommittee issued a report entitled "Civil Defense for National Survival."

In July 1957 we issued a report entitled "Status of Civil Defense Legislation."

Our 1956 report was based on exhaustive testimony received from distinguished scientists, doctors, engineers, and other professional persons; responsible public officials in Federal, State, and local government; the Chairman and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other military spokesmen; and informed private citizens, civic leaders, industrialists, and representatives of national organizations.

Our 1957 report was based on hearings held in connection with civil defense legislation introduced by members of this subcommittee and other Members of Congress.

An important feature of the legislation introduced last year is a provision calling for a nationwide system of civil defense shelters for protection against the multiple effects of nuclear weapons.

The hearings beginning today will examine the technical data developed in the atomic shelter tests conducted in Nevada during the past year. Today, tomorrow, and Friday, testimony will be received from scientific and technical experts associated with the Atomic Energy Commission and the Federal Civil Defense Administration in the shelter-testing program. Subjects to be discussed include the radiological, biological, and physical blast aspects of the shelter tests, as well as the costs of the different shelter designs tested.

Some of the members of the subcommittee have a firsthand knowledge of the matters to be discussed, having observed the explosion effects on the shelters tested during the past year.

Besides bringing together the latest authoritative technical information concerning atomic shelter designs and structures, we plan in these hearings to review the basic policy considerations in a nationwide shelter system.

On Monday, May 5, Dr. Ellis Johnson, director of the Operations Research Office of Johns Hopkins University, will present his views on the role of atomic shelters in the national defense program. The operations research office, under Dr. Johnson's direction, recently concluded a comprehensive study for the Army on defense against nuclear attack. After our hearings were scheduled, the President submitted Reorganization Plan No. 1 of 1958, which would create a new Office of Defense and Civilian Mobilization, merging the functions of the Federal Civil Defense Administration and the Office of Defense Mobilization. This reorganization plan bears directly on a phase of the legislation before the subcommittee.

Two years ago, in our basic civil-defense report, we criticized the overlapping functions and diffused authority of these agencies and proposed that their civil-defense functions be merged. This provision is contained in section 302 of H. R. 2125, which is before the subcommittee.

In considering that legislation, of course, the subcommittee will have to take account of the President's plan and to determine how it relates to our legislation. Accordingly, we will ask representatives of the Bureau of the Budget, which drew up the plan, as well as the Federal Civil Defense Administrator and the Defense Mobilization Director, who are the parties affected by the plan, to explain it and justify it before the subcommittee.

Representatives of the Budget Bureau will appear before the subcommittee on Tuesday, May 6. ODM Director Gordon Gray and FCDA Administrator Leo Hoegh will appear on Wednesday, May 7. These officials will also be asked to testify on administration policy with respect to broader civil-defense matters, including a possible. shelter construction program.

On Thursday, May 8, the subcommittee will receive testimony from representatives of the Department of Defense and the three military departments concerning shelter studies and other personnel protection programs sponsored or undertaken by those agencies.

This morning we are pleased to receive testimony from representatives of the Atomic Energy Commission. Mr. Robert Corsbie, Diector of the Civil Effects Test Group, will discuss the joint AECFCDA test program in general terms, after which he will introduce the other witnesses associated with the Atomic Energy Commission. Mr. Corsbie, you may proceed.

STATEMENT OF ROBERT CORSBIE, DIRECTOR, CIVIL EFFECTS TEST GROUP, ATOMIC ENERGY COMMISSION

Mr. CORSBIE. Mr. Chairman, I have a statement which has been handed to you.

From its inception every phase of atomic energy development— from mining of ore to weapons tests or operation of reactors and

chemical processing-has placed on the Atomic Energy Commission responsibilities for establishing appropriate safeguards for the protection of operating personnel and the general public.

The scientific and engineering achievements which made possible the control of nuclear energy raised many biomedical questions. In the health sciences, as in fields of physics and engineering, the acceleration in the utilization of nuclear energy brought with it a variety of problems answerable only by additional research.

As nuclear energy applications including advances in weaponry have increased, the research program has expanded in terms of total effort and fields of investigation. Its rate of growth has been limited largely by the availability of qualified research personnel. Despite extensive specialized training sponsored by AEC and other governmental and private agencies, there exist acute shortages of scientific and technical personnel capable of conducting biomedical and allied research.

Approximately 35 percent of this program is performed under contract with institutions of higher learning, hospitals, research institutes, and foundations, it being impractical to centralize all such research in the AEC laboratories.

The fiscal year 1958 program, estimated at $38 million, comprises a broad investigation with emphasis on radiation effects. Much work is directed toward long-term and basic studies because of the peculiar nature of the biological response to ionizing radiation. In broad aspect, the AEC biomedical and nuclear effects research includes:

A. BASIC PROGRAM

I. Irradiation effects-Analysis of the effects of radiation on biological systems: To determine the effects of all kinds of ionizing and nonionizing radiation on all kinds of living things-plant and animal, including man and his total environment.

II. Combating injury-Development of methods for counteracting the detrimental effects of radiation: To devise means and procedures for preventing, minimizing, alleviating and compensating for irradiation injury; to find methods that can be used by man to defend himself, his crops, and his livestock against the damaging effects of radiation.

III. Beneficial application-Utilization of Atomic Energy and radioactive materials for solution of biological and medical problems: Through scientific investigation and application of practical procedures to devise ways of utilizing radiation for beneficial purposessterilization, food preservation, creation of new biological products, radiodiagnosis and therapy, and basic scientific studies of biological processes-especially in medicine and agriculture.

IV. Biomedical problems-Analysis and handling of impediments to health arising from development, production, testing, and utilization of particle accelerators, radioactive sources, atomic fuels, reactors, and weapons: To deal with radiation as an occupational hazard, taking into account the transport of radioactive materials, particularly air and waterborne fission products, the problem of burns and concussions, population-group responses, adaption to life in radiation fields, radioactive waste disposal, engineering aspects, toxicity

of radioactive and nonradioactive materials required for atomic industry, permissible exposure levels and dissemination of information. V. Dosimetry and instrumentation-Development of approaches, procedures, and equipment for radiation detection and measurement: Through improvement of dosimetry to provide the foundations required for radiobiological and radiomedical work-development of instruments and equipment for dosimetry, particularly for protection of personnel, for automation, for computer work, analysis, and communications.

B. CIVIL EFFECTS PROGRAM

The lack of basic data concerning the phenomena associated with nuclear detonations and lack of data on appropriate scaling factors necessary for extrapolating from laboratory to field conditions, led to the conduct of full-scale field experiments. These were designed to provide urgently needed data on effects of nuclear weapons.

Following AEC-FCDA participation in Operation Buster-Jangle, 1951, as part of the military effects test group, Dr. Alvin C. Graves, test director, Operation Upshot-Knothole, 1953, recommended the establishment of the Civil Effects Test Group, CETG, as a part of the Nevada test organization and assigned the group directors the task of planning, supervising, coordinating, and conducting the civil effects program. The Division of Biology and Medicine, USAEC, was requested to designate a director of CETG for Operation U-K. I was selected and have served in that capacity during each subsequent Nevada test series.

The Division of Biology and Medicine is responsible to the Atomic Energy Commission for planning, screening, and coordinating projects in the civil effects program. Proposed experiments are:

1. Screened to assure (a) nonduplication of effort, (b) necessity for doing the experiment in a field test, and (c) feasibility of implementation.

2. Coordinated with the Department of Defense and other interested agencies, such as FCDA.

3. Scheduled for an appropriate series and shots.

In addition, this group is also responsible for maintaining the necessary mechanism to assure that experimental results are properly reported in the technical literature. They also provide for a continuity for civil effects programs and thus permits long-range planning which can be most effectively coupled with other continuing laboratory research.

The trends in weapons development, and new and improved instrumentation and radiation dosimetry have made full-scale field biomedical studies a valuable and an indispensable means for updating and reevaluating a large volume of previous data.

Therefore, the civil effects programs take into account (a) work begun on previous operations; (b) advances in weaponry; (c) the increased uses of nuclear energy; and (d) long-range AEC program objectives.

The technical reports resulting from Operation Plumbbob and previous operations are designed to supply information necessary for the improvement of national self-defense and establishment of safeguards for peaceful applications of nuclear energy.

To this end, every effort is made to assure that results of these tests are promptly made available to the public in unclassified reports insofar as consistent with national security. This permits immediate practical application of knowledge gained as well as guidance in continuing research in individual, community and national selfprotection against all parameters of nuclear effects.

C. SPECIAL PROJECTS AND EXERCISES

The AEC uses the Nevada test site to conduct special programs and exercises. Some of these are designed to provide information of special interest to FCDA. Three exercises have been conducted to date and a fourth is planned for spring 1958.

These studies are as follows:

I. Operation Arme, 1955-Aerial radiological monitoring exercise: The operation consisted of an aerial radiological monitoring exercise conducted at NTS by AEC in October 1955 for personnel designated by FCDA. The objective was to acquaint participants representing all echelons of civil defense with aerial survey techniques and equipment developed by the AEC for monitoring large water and land areas rapidly with small doses for operating personnel.

Instrumentation consisted of an airborne radiation detection equipment and a telemetering unit to transmit data to a remote ground station. The exercise successfully demonstrated the feasibility of equipment of this type for rapidly monitoring areas contaminated with fallout radiation.

II. Operation-Pre-Plumbbob, 1956, aerial radiological survey of the Nevada test site and adjoining areas: In October 1956, the Atomic Energy Commission sponsored an aerial survey of the NTS and adjoining areas to gather radiological information prerequisite to Operation Plumbbob. At the invitation of the AEC, the Federal Civil Defense Administration joined in support of the project.

The survey was conducted by the USGS using DC-3 aircraft and aerial radiation detection equipment designed and constructed by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The project successfully surveyed about 3,400 square miles of southeastern Nevada and adjoining part of California, about half of Utah and parts of adjoining Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado.

This survey further demonstrated the value and feasibility of utilizing aerial techniques for rapidly locating and measuring ground radiological contamination over widespread areas.

III. Civil effects exercise 57-1, 1957-Radiological assessment and recovery of contaminated areas: This exercise was conducted in December 1957 for the purpose of determining the feasibility of obtaining information on radiological countermeasures through the employment of a variety of decontamination techniques on residual radioactive material remaining at certain onsite structures and ground areas at NTS and to determine the usefulness of using low-level contaminated areas for orientation and training. This exercise was successfully completed and the report is in preparation.

IV. Civil effects exercise 58-1, 1958-Radiological survey and evaluation of protection afforded by home shelters against fallout: This exercise is planned for spring 1958. The purpose of CEE-58-1 is to utilize existing residential structures at the NTS to make comparative