忘却からの帰還〜Atomic Age

太平洋上の島で核実験を行っているのも関わらず、アメリカ大陸で核実験を実施する理由と、その安全対策について解説した原子力委員会の1955年の動画。

注目点は、ネバダ核実験場に近い、ユタ州セントジョージでは、人々は、核実験を日常の出来事として経験しており、何も気にするようなものではないことが提示されている点。このとき、実際には放射線による死と原子力委員会の欺瞞が起きていた。この動画は、それを糊塗する手段でもあった。



実際には、1953年のOperation Upshot-KnotholeのHarryの放射性物質が危険な量、流されてきた。

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00:37 If you were driving from Los Angeles to Salt Lake City on US Highway 91, you would pass through St George, Utah, population 4,562, just a short way from the state line Nevada.
00:53 It's pre-dawn, five in the morning, pretty deserted at this hour.
01:02 Everything is closed down, everyone is asleep.
01:06 Everyone that is except a milkman, been delivering over the same route for 12 years, never missed a day.
01:15 And the police officer patrolls the lonely downtown
01:20 And another night all, keeps his place open 24 hours for tourists coming through
01:25 since the rest for the town was sound asleep only are night owls thought that great flash in the western sky, an atomic bomb at the Nevada Test Site 140 miles to the west
01:38 But its old stuff the St George, routine they've seen a lot of them ever since 1951, nothing to get excited about anymore
01:57 As the striving community went about its business,
02:00 youngsters on their way to school
02:03 housewives starting on the chores of the day
02:06 merchant opening their doors,
02:09 the folks at home listening to the radio program,
02:17 Ladies and gentlemen, we interrupt this program to bring you important news.
02:21 Word has just been received from 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.
02:37 It is suggested that everyone remain indoors for one hour or untill further notice
02:41 There is no danger. This is simply routine Atomic Energy Commission safety procedure.
02:47 To prevent unnecessary exposure to radiation, it is better to take cover during this period.
02:53 Parents need not be alarmed about children at school.
02:07 no recesses Outdoors will be permitted.
02:59 please stay indoors and advise your friends and neighbors who may not hear this announcement likewise.
03:05 And as the people in Saint George took cover
03:09 It was natural that some of them have questions about atomic test, questions like why do we have to test bombs
03:17 And the answers are found in still another question, the question of national survival.
03:24 For testing of atomic weapons, goes on for a vital reason our national defense.
03:31 we have no choice.
03:33 To fall behind any other nation anatomic progress is a national risk.
03:38 To assure our defense, we have to keep our atomic strength top-level by testing new ideas and principles.
03:45 And applying these principles in weapons
03:47 That's why we have the Nevada Test Site
03:51 it's sort of our backyard workshop, the most unusual scientific workshop in the world
03:57 640 square miles of desert and mountains, 65 miles northwest from Las Vegas, set some of the loneliest acres the world has ever seen.
04:08 But this baring region is not baring of brains.
some of the outstanding minds of the nation work in the sprawling outdoor laboratory
04:19 The scientists who have ever harnessed those great force, open the door to the Atomic Age
04:24 the military mem who may have to apply this force in the defense of our nation.
04:30 technicians who assembled complex instruments and equipment, and lots of others who build, who plan, who record, who maintains security, and the countless tests are the central to this important project
04:45 These men are here for the vital purpose.
04:48 since we have no atomic monopoly, we must continue to increase our knowledge of atomic weapons, to guarantee maximum military atomic strength.
04:57 But naturally the folks in Saint George, as they look upon their silent city, wonder why weapons are tested inside the United States instead of far Pacific area.
05:09 the answer is we need both testing areas.
05:13 In the vast isolated region of the mid-pacific, we test weapons of tremendous strength
05:20 Only smaller bombs are tested inside the United States.
05:23 The smaller devices just as important to America's weapons strength as the larger ones, could not be teted so quickly if they have to be taken to the Pacific proving ground, about 5,000 miles from our western coast,
05:38 A Pacific test is quite a job
05:41 past operations out there are involved nine thousand-man like two complete cities of Saint George and food and supplies to maintain those mem.
05:51 Obviously an operation like this takes time, months and months of time on atomic progress waits.
05:59 So our need is pressing for a nearby test site, a place where nuclear tests can be made frequently, quickly and more economically.
06:09 And thus in 1951, the Nevada Test Site was set up for the first of a series of continental test, that a part of our continuing atomic program.
06:19 because the Nevada Test Site is close-in, scientists conduct a test on one day and returned their laboratories on the next to start evaluating results immediately
06:30 This greatly speeds up our weapons development program.
06:34 Those problems that cannot be solved in the laboratory, are taken to the outdoor workshop in Nevada.
06:41 This is called ground zero
06:46 Around a center point of the explosion, are located instruments and equipment that a part of diagnostic experimentation,
06:54 Which is scientific language meeting, where, what happend, that the idea works.
07:00 And as you might expect, there are some humdinger in the way of gadgets, some we cannot describe sake, some we can mention.
07:10 Like the high speed camera that takes pictures at one 3 million of a second.
07:15 Or the instruments that measure heat of millions of degrees.
07:18 And the light intensity hundreds of times brighter than the sun.
07:24 Scientists want to know exactly what occurs before. during and after a nuclear explosion.
07:30 Almost field tests are held largely to answer the questions above scientists.
07:34 These tests are also designed to answer as many other questions as possible
07:40 The armed forces, for instance, they've gotten all.
07:44 Military scientists conduct experiments to record and evaluate effects of atomic weapons.
07:50 For training purposes military personnel observed from foxholes.
07:55 we also need to know if military equipment can take it
07:59 All types are positioned at varying distances from Ground Zero
08:03 Structures also play an important part not only in military studies, but also in civil defense programs to determine blast and heat effects,
08:13 Family type dwellings are constructed right on the site
08:17 Civil defense is also concerned with the valuable automobiles as shelters in an atomic attack.
08:24 biomedical test using animals such as mice and pigs for research subjects, are conducted to gain important information about radiation effects on cells and tissue
08:36 and a lot of other government agencies also set up special tests and experiments.
08:42 Finally the work is done. Preparations are completed.
08:46 Another valuable test is ready. Shot day is tomorrow morning.
08:55 The early morning air is cool, crisp.
08:58 The outdoor laboratory workshop is deserted, silent.
09:04 A series of activities now proceed on a pre-arranged schedule.
09:08 Notices sent to all nearby communities that the shot will go on as scheduled.
09:14 Planes take to the air for sampling, tracking, and photography
09:20 In ample time before the shot, mobile monitoring teams are directed to the path of the radiation fallout as predicted by the weather forecast.
09:29 At their stations in the control point, perhaps eight miles from the tower, are the key men of the test, the scientists.
09:37 To them, this is pay off, the climax of careful planning and preparation.
09:43 The test pattern is complete.
09:46 Attention please, -15 seconds
09:58 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
10:30 Tower of steel is now only a tower of smoke
10:34 This was a civil defense house.
10:38 Here was the first row of automobiles
10:42 This was a tank. This was a jeap.
10:45 This was a jet plane. This bomber.
10:49 These were structures
10:53 At the site, radiological safety teams monitor the radiation level.
10:57 Now scientists recover instruments that are recorded, what you might call the fingerprints of nuclear fission
11:04 For these imprints answer questions that will speed our progress in weapon development and efficiency.
11:10 But all these difficult work worthwhile, is the Nevada test site living up to expectations?
11:17 The answer is yes. We have come a long long way in a few years、
11:23 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.
11:34 And atomic artillery to support frontline troops.
11:41 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 to aggression.
11:54 To support peace, their numbers and efficiency greatly increase.
12:01 Without a continental test site, we would now find ourselves years behind our present atomic development,
12:08 This is why the Nevada Test Site is absolutely eccential as a backyard workshop.
12:17 OK, so Nevada is important. So we have to test bombs out there for national defense.
12:22 What's being done about the safety of the public?
12:25 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.
12:37 The test organizations staff is meeting as it does before every shot
12:44 Go or no go? That's the question before the task manager and his advisors, experts in the field biology and medicine, public health, meteorology, and blast.
12:55 Before a nuclear device is detonated, every possible precaution is taken for safety.
13:01 Public safety is the main consideration.
13:05 There are three factors to consider.
13:08 First, light the brilliant flash can cause momentary blindness to a pilot or to a motorist.
13:15 Aircraft were warned through civil aeronautics authority of the zone closed air traffic at all altitudes.
13:23 Motorists are temporarily halted on nearby highways.
13:28 The second factor is blast.
13:30 For further careful precaution, relatively small charges of high explosive are set off at one and two hour interals before the atomic detonation.
13:40 Sensitive scientific instruments at various points around the test site record the results of the high explosive blast.
13:47 Thus enabling the test organization to predict the effect and direction of the blast from the upcoming atomic detonation.
13:55 Minor damage is minimized by warning communities to open windows and doors to equalize pressure.
14:02 And of course the test itself will be postponed it appears that a community might be hit hard by blast.
14:09 The third factor is radiation
14:12 Let's consider radioactivity and the weather conditions which determine what happens to it.
14:17 As the task staff considers all vital factors involved in the test operation, of top importance is the weather forecast.
14:26 Weather as well as technical factors are reviewed and evaluated by the experts in arriving at a decision.
14:34 just conditions seem unfavorable or become so what any time up to 10 minutes before shot time, the test is postponed
14;42 If conditions seem favorable and safe, an order to proceed is issued.
14:48 After a shot has been fired, the atomic cloud like a giant vacuum cleaner, has sucked up dirt and debris from the earth and form the radioactive particles.
15:00 Is it dangerous?
15:04 Yes, right now it is. You wouldn't want to go into it
15:08 but neither would you deliberately walk into a blazing fire.
15:11 you have to use common sense.
15:14 There may be an area of real danger which may extend a few miles from ground zero.
15:22 This is one reason why entry into the test site is restricted.
15:26 Helicopters warn hunters, hikers and desert migrants to avoid the test site region.
15:34 Yes, livestock grazing within a few miles from a site of detonation have in few instance, suffered skin and eye injuries from radiation
15:42 But otherwise they're in good health.
15:44 Justified claims by owners have been compensated.
15:49 Extensive studies have concluded that that animals grazing at greater distances have not been injured by radiation.
15:56 The AEC will continue to give advance notice to livestock owners.
16:02 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 donations to the Pacific.
16:16 As the cloud moves out it becomes to disperse.
16:19 And at the same time its radioactivity rapidly decreases.
16:24 Past experience has shown that some activity will be detected across the country.
16:29 The important thing is to keep the amount of radioactive contamination to as low a level as possible for human exposure.
16:37 This is not left to chance.
16:42 At the control point, the path of the cloud is charted with the greatest possible accuracy.
16:47 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.
16:57 Some of the tiny radioactive particles settled back to earth as the wind disperse the cloud.
17:04 These particles are called fallout.
17:08 The bulk of the particles soon fall outs and the cloud disappears.
17:14 An invisible remnant, a radioactive material was lifted high, wide and far by the wind, eventually settling to earth.
17:22 But radioactive fallout beyond several miles from the crash site has not been known to be serious.
17:28 It does not constitute an appreciable danger to persons, animals, crops property or industry.
17:35 we must remember that radiation is not a new thing on our earth.
17:40 Since the beginning of time, the earth has been bombarded by radiation from outer space.
17:46 Cosmic rays and high-energy particles rain down from space upon earth and every one of us every second of our lives.
17:54 We are also struck by radiation from the materials on the earth itself.
17:58 All is known as background radiation.
18:02 it is part of nature. We can't control them.
18:06 Radiation from fallout temporarily adds to this background level.
18:11 It is the total amount of radiation that is important.
18:15 That is why very careful considerations are given for firing every atomic test shot, so that the fallout adds as little radiation as possible to that of natural background sources.
18:28 Yes the very nature of testing weapons for national defense, requires we accept the possibility of some exposure to additional radiation.
18:37 And there is some potential risk.
18:40 But this additional radiation has been kept far be more harmful amounts in areas beyond a few miles outside the test site boundaries.
18:50 The rigid requirements controlling the firing each nuclear device have made this control possible.
18:57 To provide even furthur assurance, radiation monitoring teams are continually on the job during the past periods guarding the safety of the public
19:07 In fact, a monitoring system on a national scale has been established to keep track of the movement and direction the cloud.
19:14 Monitoring is not confined just to areas near the test site.
19:19 Moving outward from the outdoor laboratory you would find 15 air sampling stations in the vicinity of the test site.
19:27 And special mobile monitoring teams operated jointly by the atomic energy commission and the US Public Health Service.
19:35 These teams must be able to move quickly into the projected path of the atomic cloud.
19:40 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.
19:54 Special Air Force planes follow the cloud approximately six hundred miles from the test site.
20:01 Reports from all mobile monitoring teams are flashed regularly by radio or phone to the control point at the test site
20:09 This information is used effectively in many ways, such as keeping public health officials informed in the states adjacent to the test site.
20:15 Through the cooperation of about 100 US weather bureau stations, samples of the atomic cloud are collected on government paper throughout the United States, and sent AEC's health and safety laboratory in New York City for counting.
20:35 These samples from many localities of the United States are processed and at a glance we know how much fallout dropped in the every section of the country.
20:45 This information is for the use of health authorities, research people, scientists, industry using sensitive materials.
20:54 It is given to the US weather bureau whose meteorological specialists further evaluate and analyze the fallout reports
21:03 These reports incidentally are extremely useful to meteorologists in the study of wind currents and the movement of air masses.
21:11 Radiation in the air acts like dye placed in water. it can be traced its direction and speed can be recorded,
21:21 Some people think atomic bombs can affect the weather.
21:25 Following extensive studies no relationship between atomic detonations and weather has been established.
21:34 An atomic bomb is puny compared to the forces of nature,
21:38 And is completely lost in the vast oceans of the sky.
21:44 What then was the story of Saint George. Here are the facts.
21:50 The go or no go meeting after carefully reviewing all factors found conditions were favorable, Go ahead signal was given and the shot fired the following morning.
22:03 The predicted path of fallout was to the south of the city
22:10 Then the local wind changed on the cloud approach the city.
22:21 the word was spreading throughout the community and the citizens calmly took cover.
22:25 One hour and 50 minutes later at 11:25 a.m. the all-clear announcement was broadcast.
22:34 Actually when the invisible cloud had passed, the total amount of radiation deposited on Saint George was far from hazardous.
22:44 Then you may ask why were people asked to stay indoors.
22:49 For the very simple reason, the Atomic Energy Commission doesn't take chances on safety/.
22:56 It is the AECs policy to keep to a minimum any exposure of persons to radiation.
23:02 This wide safety margin controls the AEC's attitude toward radiation involved in any of its activities.
23:12 So the citizens of Saint George were asked to go indoors to avoid unnecessary exposure.
21:17 The amount of radioactivity that fell on Saint George was not dangerous but the ATEC felt a precaution to avoid exposure was good Commons Sense
23:31 Such caution will continue to govern operations relative to the Nevada Test Site.
23:36 With this rigid standard of safety, testing of atomic weapons must go on.
23:42 Orderly well-conceived testing must continue.
23:47 The testing of atomic weapons at Nevada is essential in the world today to our existence as a nation.
23:55 but Towring clouds of the Atomic Age is a symbol of strength of defense of security for freedom-loving people everywhere, people who want peace.
24:12 For as president Eisenhowe has pointed out to all the world, this country which is building a full-scale atomic power plant, once nuclear energy to serve the needs of mankind.
24:25 Deeply desires and is working to help create an International Atomic Energy Agency to adapt nuclear energy to all the arts of peace.

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