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Medical Education and Public Health New York 20, Iew York I I very much appreciate your attending our April 21 meeting. It w a s most helpful t o have your views and opinion on the need f o r refiring the Japanese weapons. The enclosed minutes are intended t o briefly summarize the concensus of the meeting and we will appreciate your comments on these. hear from you shortly it would assist us i n the preparati o f the find minutes early i n June. Again let me thd you for your helpful advice. I know you are busy but i f we could Very truly yours, Division of Biology and Nedici
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Minutes of Meeting t o Cons ing Japanese Weapons as Support of Bio - medical Program Needs. Maj. oen, James Po Coonay, Deputy Surgeon Gene-, USA Capt. IC, E, Musick, DMA The Chainnan opened the meeting by noting thatt 1. The group was assembled t o consider the need f o r refirlna; the Japanese 2, AEC does not f i r e atomic devices until there has been a careful examinweapons, as support of a biomedical field test program. ation of the program raquireamsnts. 3. It has been sham that such a device can be safely fired at the NTS. 4. AEC is coxdtted t o long term programs designed t o obtain data for the studies of the Japanese survivors. 5. That the ABCC reports are the primary sources of data available, There was a general discussion of the ABCC program trends, and biamedical data that-we might expect to have f o r evaluation and comparison with the physical data. Also, there was a presentation of the status of laboratory bicrmedical studies with onim;Lls, that is ultimately designed to tie into the ABCC studies of humons. The discussion of status of information available on the Japanese weapons n&$e$,thatr
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1. Although the Nagasaki weapon has been fired several times the radiation characteristics are only a little ' better known than the Hiro@Lma weapon. 2. The Hiroshirm weapon has only been f i r e d once and only one s-ar type weapon has been fired since. - would provide an eatimata of the 4. LASL cano i f requested, make the calc uht ion on the Hiroahirm weapon and if requested can construct a duplicate of the Hiroshima weapon which would have a probability of about 95% of performing in the same h e r as d i d the Them was Q discussion of the results of the PLlMBBOB studies i n bution and shielding afforded by l i g h t frame Japanese type hmea and presentation of results of analysis nude t o determine the benefits that would accrue from refiring the weapons. These are sumnarizd in the Table follawingt Estimated probable error i n detannining dosea from Japanese weapons. Date Presently Available Data lkpected f r o m Befiring of Weapons Error in determining Nagasaki Error i n deterndning Hjroahimr 1. There is much valuable information available f r o m the ABCC studies which can be nbre fully utilized when the environnent;rl data associated with the, 5gitia.l radiation dose has h e n refined. In addition t o assisting i n the long range ABCC program, b e t t e r data on radiation doses will.pepmit more refined aMlysis of post data, and may w e l l produce infomation of imnediate practical application.
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2. It is essential that no& refined teohnical data developed during the last few pars, be applied t o re-calculatfons on the Japanese weapons t o permit analpis of the biomedical data, testing program, simultaneous plans should be developed t o duplicate and refire (1) the Himshima weapon, and (2) the Nagasaki weapon. possible speed t o assure their readiness for early field tests. In summary it appears that present data is o n l y good enough t o allow a determination of radiation dose from the Japanese weapons t o an accuracy of f 63 t o 70%. Results of Operations TEAPclp and PLUMBBOB f i e l d studies indicate that certain calculations can be =de which may reduce this dose t o about .C 20%. Refiring of the weapons would validate the calculation method and d e r -reduce the error i n determining dose t o about B 10%. Since there are several differant laboratorg groups involved it is it up o dz t that my progrrms of calculation be m nt Url lya at is factor g to all concerned. Otherwise discussion of the significance of the results could introduce uncertainties and resultant delays in oWaining this urgently needed information, 3. Despite international developnaents which might adversely affect the 4. Program planning for field'biomediwl studies should proceed With all