FEB 23 J3 MEM0SANDU14 FOR CHAIRMAN SEABORG COMMISSIONER RAMEY COI'MIS SI0N2R TAPE COMMISSIONER JOHNSON SUBJECT US DOE ARCHIVES JZ6 U S ATOMIC ENERGY KG__ ___COMMISSION____ Collection 'T o _HfG a±xL_ Box „o B-52 CRASH AT THULE AIR BASE GREENLAND i'l_____ _________ AO S 3-9 LlQbS ' Fol derp h TV u p Xv- c c « This is the fourth in i- series of status reports to the Commission on the Thule B-52 accident situation This report briefly summarizes information available as of 5 00 p m February 19 1968 The collection of debris from the surface of the crash site is con­ tinuing but is essentially complete Although intensive radiation detector and visual searches extending within an area approximately two and one-half miles north two miles west three miles south and one mile east of the crash site have continued the last piece o£ positively identified weapon debris was found on February 14 VJith which were shipped to LASL the execution of DELETED all weapon dearis is being shipped to the Rocky Flats plant where an Q ¥s5oj5o o— o intensive postmortem is now being accomplished Of particular concern 2ooO gz t o •- —z - to the postmortem will be identification and association of the recovered debris with the specific weapons involved in order to ascertain what a' oocn-i happened to the fourth weapon secondary from which no parts have yet been positively identified Collection of contaminated aircraft debris is estimated at 99 per cent complete This debris is being sealed into steel containers and will be shipped to Oak Ridge for disposal by burial The approximate volume of this aircraft debris is represented by its containment in four 18 000 gallon tanks twenty-two 30 gallon and one hundred fifty-five 20 gallon drums and thirteen 2800 gallon jet engine containers Oak Pvidge representatives who went to Thule to determine and advise on the adequacy of packaging of this material foresee no -problem in the safe handing and disposal of it at Oak Ridge BEST COPY AVAILABLE - • t - 2 - With recovery of the contaminated aircraft debris the contamination levels of the crash area have decreased The majority of the residual contamination is contained in the ice crust and snow of the fuel burn area and southern one-third of the impact area Analysis of snow and ice core samples at LASL shows tritium contamination as high as 40 millicuries per square meter as well as plutonium contamination in this area Also of concern are pockets of plutonium-contaminated unburned JP-4 jet fuel oil in the immediate crash area Analysis of snow and ice core samples is continuing with Danish participation to determine the degree of snow and ice removal necessary and the extent and disposition of the contaminated fuel problem An initial estimate by the Oak Ridge representatives who have returned from the crash scene envisions the scraping of approximately the top five inches of snow and ice from the impact area comprising a volume of approximately 100 000 cubic feet or 750 000 gallons Oak Ridge would also be prepared to dispose of this material possibly in 25 000 gallon tanks provided by the DoD at Thule and transported back by ship or barge by next fall or winter Dr Carl Walske ATSD AE led a team of eight DoD AEG and Laboratory scientists to Copenhagen on February 13-17 to confer with top officials of the Danish Ministry of Health Ministry of Greenland and their Atomic Energy Agency The latest information and concept were discussed frankly and freely at these sessions and resulted in the attached Joint Statement provided to both the Danish and American Presses ARCHIVES The Danes propose to conduct all monitoring and surveillance studies of the biota of the area using the logistic support of Thule Air Base and leaving to the Air Force the task of removing the debris and scraping up snow and ice in the contaminated areas They are most concerned with the area immediately surrounding the burn area on the ice and may take a more relaxed attitude toward the low-level contamination at distances of four or more miles The Danes are aware of plutonium being entrapped in the JP-4 fuel of tritium being in the area and of the probability of contaminated metal on the bottom of the bay but made no issue of these Nothing was said at this meeting about costs or payment for Danish activities u-236 will be provided to assist their bio-analyses Trip reports soon to be prepared by the Division of Biology and Medicine will provide more detailed information C'iT n£ See attached page for distribution Attachment Joint Statement - v BM Edward B Giller OS Brigadier General USAF Assistant General Manager MA Prod for Military Application am GFHedrick sc 2-20-68 AGMMA EBGiller Distribution 1A 2A Chairman w attachment 3A Com Ramey w attachment 4A Com Tape w attachment 5A Com Johnson w attachment 6A 7A GM w attachment 8A DGM w attachment 9A AGM w attachment 10A EAGM w attachment SECY w attachment OS w attachment FI w attachment DIA w attachment B M w attachment Dir Ref w attachment P S Ret'd w attachment 19A F S Rdr w attachment 2QA Reader 21A Locator 22A DMA Files w attachment doe archives 4 JOINT STATEMENT RELEASED TO PRESS FEBRUARY 16 1968 Scientists from Denmark and the United States met during February 15 and 16 for discussions of the technical questions arising from the B-52 crash at Thule Greenland The meetings continued the close cooperation which has existed since the time of the crash Scientists of both nations have worked together at the scene of the crash and participated in the gathering of scientific evidence The scientists reviewed the considerable progress which has been made at the site in collecting aircraft and weapons parts nated material will be removed from Greenland to which radioactivity was released Contami­ They also assessed the extent QQg ARC HIV 1 It was agreed that under present conditions the radioactivity spread in the area is not a hazard to people or biological species nor is any hazard foreseen for the future Nevertheless an effort will be made to remove the main part of the radioactivity which is on the ice The conclusions of the scientists regarding the absence of hazards to the biosphere will continue to be examined in detail Further supporting evidence will be accumulated through an extensive program of data gathering Participants from the United States Dr Carl VJalske Chairman Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Atomic Energy Mr Herbert Parker Biophysicist Battelle Memorial Institute Dr Bostwick Ketchum Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute Dr Wright Langham Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory Dr H D Bruner Atomic Energy Commission Dr John Wolfe Atomic Energy Commission - 2 Participants from the United States continued Dr James Shreve Physics and Mathematical Research Sandia Corporation Major General Otto Glasser Headquarters U S Air Force AFRDC Colonel Oscar Sundstrom Headquarters U S Air Force AFSSSGA Participants from Denmark Mr H H Koch Chairman Permanent Under-Secretary of State Chairman Executive Committee Danish AEG Professor P Brandt Rehberg Chairman Danish AEG Professor Jorgen Koch University of Copenhagen Consultant to National Health Service Mr E Juel Henningsen M D Deputy Director General National Health Service •i DOE ARCHIVES Mr P Grande Head Radiation Hygiene Laboratory National Health Service Mr E Hesselbjerg Permanent Under-Secretary of State Ministry for Greenland Mr H 'Lassen Head of Division Minis try for Greenland Mr VJ Friis-Moller Head of Section Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Paul Marinus Hansen Head of the Greenland Fisheries Research Department Dr Christian Vibe Assistant Professor Zoological Museum University of Copenhagen Mr B N Fristrup Head of Department Geographical Institute Mr Frede Hermann Hydrographer Ministry of Fisheries i - 3 - Participants from Denmark continued Professor Mogens Faber M D Medical Adviser to the Danish AEG Professor T Bjerge Director Research Establishment Riso Dr G F Jacobsen Assistant Director Riso Professor 0 Kofoed-Hansen Technical University of Denmark Head Physics Department Riso Mr P L Olgaard M Sc Head Reactor Physics Department Riso Mr N E Busch M Sc Head Meteorological Section Physics Department Riso Mr Hans von Bulow Secretary General Danish AEG Mr G Vigh Head of Section Danish AEG DOE ARCHIVES