Date

Jul 4, 1968

Description

The Air Force had before it the problem of disposing of 10,500 “measurement tons” of melted ice and snow sealed in 232 1,800-gallon tanks and a “wide variety of sealed containers of contaminated solid residue, primarily aircraft parts.” The goal was to remove the material from Greenland as soon as possible. After the staff of the Division of Military Applications reviewed possible sites for storing the material, including AEC facilities at Savannah River, Oak Ridge, Richland, and the Nevada Test Site, and looked closely at pros and cons and the expenses involved, it concluded that “from an overall standpoint, the best solution is to dispose of all the residue at the Savannah River Plant.” Curtailing overland transport of the material was an important consideration. Moreover, to minimize any danger of a criticality incident, the Savannah River operation had a “capability to effect positive containment of the plutonium in the liquid residue.” The estimated total cost, including transportation and disposal, was over $1.2 million (1968 dollars).

Source

National Security Archive, DOE Releases on Thule Crash

Document published in following posting(s):

The United States and Greenland: Episodes in Nuclear History, 1957-1968
Part II: The B-52 Crash and Its Impact

Oct 15, 2025