··c -r· I UNlTED STATES FEDERAL DEPARTMENT BUREAU OF JUSTICE OF INVESTIG ATION 0 - _- r ·- · l • C 'I • • b6 Copy to b7C Office Report of Oat Bureau Fil• # field Office FIieII BXEHPT ROH AUTOMATIC Dl CLAS F CATION AUTHOR DBRIVBD PR OH PBI AU N C DBCLASSIPICATION BXllHPT DB 2SX l 6 3 - 2008 DAT l PBI IN TION ONLY ZALMANt10RDECAI SHAPIRO lltlt ATOMICENERGYACT OBSTRUCTION OF JU S'rICE Choracler wledgo Synopsi1 GUIDB of ct termed Subject interviewed G 27 77 SHAPIRO ided diversion of special nuclenr material nt problems the chance of diversion as minuscule SHAPIRO p inevitRble c etailed description of NU ECprocesses a nd atte and described losses of special nuclear material a the material due to inability to retrieve one hundred percent o said h e was stricted o from processing equipment being used JIAPIRO ad anY never connected with t unauthoriz ed tel ea se o ganization information d to his knowledge nev classified contact with any foreign intelli ge nc e officer o C ·- D C t -··· · SE ET Classif ie Exempt fro Date of D ·-- '·•- ·•ooNC not to be di1uibuttd out ide your a mc Y- -- I J • ' ' ' · C • atc go rY 2 ·cation Indefinite '· - i · '--- -c-- - · · 1 9 GDS ss •• ' • •• _ • •-' u - S GP0 19l$-O-S'f6-a41 F0-302 RF V 11·'7 -70 FEDERALBUREAUOF INVESTIGATION Date o f transcription 1 On June 27 1077 ZALMJ N ht SHAPino an --- 1 _l c 7 __7 __ _ of Fusion Power Systems Nuclear Division Westin ghou orp o r r tion Pittsburgl1 1 Pennsylvania since June 1971 1 n resident of 1045 Lyndhurst Drive p · i se d to be interviewed by Srecial A cn ts SAs nnd I _after they had id ent ified themsel c as SAs of the Federal Bureau of Investigation FDI WRs c The interview began at ihout 10 0S a m to Ur SHAPIRO a standard ''Wa form After reading the form SHAPIRO voiced cert relative to its purpose and was concerned that di form implied certain unlawful acts on his pnrt concerned that affixing his signature to the form to interview would in some way indicate tacit a gr part that he had been guilty of ille gal activity its purpose were discussed with SI P IRO at rent Finally at appro imately 10 55 a m SHAPIRO· ele the subject of the form and the matter of ·the r e with his attorney He then made a telephone ca l individual be identified phon between SIIAP attorney After a short discussion attorney and the above Agents usin r a tele phone box SIIAPIRO's attorney su r -ested to him that he be interviewed relative to the Nuclear Materials Corporation NUMEC and his tenure with NUUECas SAr ---7- displayed as The actual interview commenced at ll furnished the following in i ponse to direct q by the interviewing Agents kf J ' b7C which ti me · of RiGhts '' re se r v ttions ny of the was also 1d sub nitti ni e int on bis ·11 fo rm an d e t h e ' to di scuss c te d · intervie· v an ·c his I his r feren ce r oe to uipment s resident · SHAPIRO initiated To SHAPinO's knowledge there was neve ny diversion of enriched uranium from the truMEC facility and termed the or group of individua s successfully chances of any individual diverting such material as minuscule lie denie mphatically le for any that he wa Jn y way connected with diversion JcfJ SHAPIRO noted governmentar commercial that NIDfEC 1 ike any s experienced a certain ar facility unt of materinl f - Interviewed on __ 6 _ _2_7_ _7_7 ____ __ P_i_t'-t'-s_b_1_1_r g'-h_ '--P_a-'- ____ Fi # __ h6 _VF_0 __ 1_1_7_-_2_7_ 3_ _ b6 h7c 1· ··· ----- - sxnET WFO117-273 2 unaccounted for MUF during its routine operation SHAPIRO dfscribed a very complex manufacturing process in ch the uranium processed by NUtIEC particularly in the p ction of Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application VA fuel of processes during w was put through a multitude the material was alternately heated to fantastic temperatures rmed into solids pounded and crushed to dust and reformed to dust like spheroids of almost microscopic size The s roids were then sized and those not meeting specifications w salvaged and the entire process started over again until the mum yield of proper sized spheroids was achieved He note at all work was done using equipment such as glove boxe re lectric furnaces vast mazes of pipes pumps and valves hundreds of filters Losses of material were inevitable due the inability to retrieve ono hundred percent of the dust like terial from the equipment being used Material clung event he clothing impossible anc shoes of the workers In many instanc es it impractical or uneconomic to even to atte not ry of material K e'' · Uranium was processed by NUMEC varying in e ause it wn s size from a few grams to many kilograms r material impractical and uneconomical to clean up and re vas used by after each batch a continuous production proce ity at Oak NUMECsimilar to that used at the government fa ic to attempt Ridge It was likewise impractical and uneco ch by batch fro waste and scrap on a recovery of material to be basis a process which required all equipment u nd its scrap dismantled so it was the practice of NUMECto r nium at the and waste and then i sofar as possible recover o signify '' a term us d general conclusion of ca i contract periods Yf SHAPIRO emphasized that the diversion of special nuclear material question and added that Atomic Energy Commissi had in fact assured him personally that NUME et favorably JAth MUF experienced throughout the indust Y·JrJ s ignificant s out of the AEC officials F compared of the n r---r--- - - ' ' WFO117-273 · 3 During November 1965 NU 1EC to be a major concern and accountability was a focal poi of AEC interest in and criticism of Nm me In addition t he MUF occasioned by the production process other subject factors entered into MUF such as problems in instrumentat n assaying and weighing of material and even differences of · ion between shipper and receiver as to the weight of the mate involved that NmrEC's accountability The AEC was insisting ocedures be improved and Nmmc had been looking high and 1 for a recognized expert in the field NUMECapproached e AEC for reconunendations of individuals who might assist t company with its accountability problems Among a few in iduals ho had an AEC employ suggested by AEC wast participated in an extensive inspection of the E facility rstanding during November 1965 At that time it was the of SHAPIRO and other officials at NUhlEC that the inspection as well as all paper work attendant to the insp ion including a final larly the report had been completed as ·part mpleted his understanding of NUMEC offici that had fer of input into the final report was ma e an he la er accepted iEC's employment by NUMEC aaoffer offer of employment to l Jwas solely a foll - p of AEC's accounta ty expert suggestion of his name as a recognized and an effort to improve NUMECaccourability It p c dures ngs with was in no way an effort to influence_ Jf ffort to mute respect to the inspection of NUMECby AEC nor a the AEC report of the inspection connected classified to receive SHAPIRO was never responsible for nor with the unauthorized release of rest material a individual not autho the same w f t no time was SHAPIRO aware of bein with fore n intelligence officers or organiza at one time NUMECformed a partnership with t government which resulted in the -formation of and Radiation Enterpr as Israel-NU 1EC Isotopes At that time there were ongoing projects in ma toward the use of irradiation for the purpose food and sterilizing medical supplies Such already in use in Europe but in the United St FDA was opposed to and Drug Administration SHAPIRO viewed it as a reasonable business op joining with the Israelis in the ISORAD effor as an opportu ty to proceed with the venture trom the FDA 1 I - ' · · I I _1 _ • t - · any way ted or ed or cleared b6 b7c · t FO llt-273 I The Israelis sold considerable quantitie West Germany Fruit flies infesting the fruit been c mbatted by dipping the fruit in biphenyl bu German had determined that biphenyl collected in and was also regarded as possibly carcinogenic an reason informed Isr t fruit dipped in biphen longer be accepted U io o citrus it had he West system or this would no t ISORAD was a fifty-fifty partnership be n NUHEC government in the person of the I and the Israeli li Atomic Energy fCommission Business between the Israelis s generally conducted by board meetings or in meetings betwee IIAPIRO and the scfentific attache at the Israeli Embassy S IRO could this individual's name When NUMECme not recall d with Atlantic Richfield Company Atlantic Richfield b e nervous over the ISORAD connection with Israel because A a tic Richfield also owned Sinclair Oil Company which was doing ness with They decided to give up ISORAD and SHA AlgeriL 1 is under RAD stock the imr ression that A ntic Richfield gave its back t the Israelis SHAPIRO continued that he had met the ed Israeli scientif -i ia w M llf 1 1 - r i1111 UoLa J MM - r 1 -- er at a university mentio C __ - According to SHAPIRO all work done a unclasfified Foreign born scientists worked for a eeriod of time NUMEChad an agreement wi firm rune unrecalled to train some of its pe a larg number of foreign scientists from Grea German and Israel visited the NUMECon tour sciento sts working at NUMEC an all who visite through the AEC 'fV UJ were reared MECwas MEC and Japanese nnel Also ritain France 1 foreign n any capacity SHAPIRO noted that NUMECwas operat AEC a d U S Navy security requirements and t afforcl d frequent inspections by both the AEC SHAPI O recognized certain deficiencies in th NUMECand continually sought guidance from th requested guidance was never forthcoming AE quick ·to criticize h'UMECfor its deficiencie insta1 ces were brought to the ar ency's atten itself but AEC never did prov e uidance o f requ ntlf reques te by NUMEC · _ - · nder both acility was d the Navy peration of EC but the as always hich in most----- by NUMEC andards so I I · 'ftJ1 ttur iq I IHL t I f ' SEC T AilET WFO117-273 11ondered He At the conclusion of the interview SUAPI ccounting when the matter · of 11u1mc would finallY be laid to NU EC recalled that the AEC and the United States Genera h by AEC Office had made in depth studies of the situation and and he personallY bad been interviewed at great le officials This all occurred at a time when recor s eason econd memories were fresh SHAPIROquestioned first t situation i for additional the abill tY inquiry into the matter of anybody t econstruct at NUMEC ten years ago'l 'J'C J of NUl mC a in detail '