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TO 83014271534 P.002

HIZTORY THE PHYTOII PROJECT

‘EC-12-1994 16: 37 FROM usDoEaRo TO :

e3014271534 P.003 w

HlSfORY OF THE DAYTON PROJECT Keith V. Gilbert

I !

June 1969

l lonsanco Research Corporation

‘A Subsidiary of Monsanro COmPanY

MOUND LABORATORY

Miamisburg, Ohio

Operated for

United States Atomic Energy Commission U.S. Government Contract No. AT-33- I-GEN-S3

1

The dwolopunt al the )60-million Atomic Energy Commission

production and resoorch facility in Miomirburg con be traced to

m wigin in 1926 when the Thomas and Hochwolt Cobnrmtories wcr.

rrtoblislrrd in Doytsn. This firm was ocquirod by f&xrsanto

Chemical Company in 1936 to CMI~ on long-tang= and fundmental

stinrtific s:udy M o rompmy wide basis.

In March 19J9, only a for warhr oftor the discovaty 01 uranium

fission, the possible military inportoncr of atomic snargy was

crllod to the rftartian of the U. S. Gorcmmnt. In the autumn

cl 1939, the first Go~ornnent committoe on urmiun was craotrd.

The initial work was &no In various univsrsltiss with the ovorolf

effort being somewhat loosely orgonirad. By the ondof 194 I, on

cmteosirc review indicctted that on increased l ffort on the uranium

project should bc undrttnkcn under th odminirt~otion of o ry01e

forrol orgoni lotion. This decision was approved by Preaidant

Roorovelt. fn the summ~ 01 1942, the Army Corps of Engineurr

orgmisod the Manh~a Engineer District for this purpose.

a

Chorlcs A. Thomas, Project Direcbr, 1943 - 1945.

Dr. Charles Allen Thomas WI. director of knsanto’~ Cmtrof

Resswch Doportmone in Dqton whm, fn 1943, ho WOJ tolled to

Washington for o conferonce wlth Choral LosIlo Gvov*~. Groves

hod been assigned rerponriblilty lor the Manhottm Prolsct in

September, 1949. Also p,rrsnt at the can/srenc~ WQJ Jamor Conont

who hod horn prosidmt of Horvord Unlvrrsity prior to his appoint-

ment lo the Notional Dolrnre Rereorch Commitleo. Aftos swoaing

Thomas to secrecy, they rovooled to him the top recrot plan to

build an otomicborb. Following several days 01 meatlngs ard

dircusrlonr; Monron~o accepted the rorpottsibltity for the chsnlr~ry

I and metallurgy 01 radfooctivo polonium-work to bocomo known as

I the Doy~on Project.

;. ! Polonium was vltul to tbo cmrtruction of on atomic bomb as a

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from thm lohwo)ory. Even insido the plant &to rocur~ty pre-

cautions wao tohen. Palumium was reforrod to by coda nom.4 to

ovoid ~ccidontol comprorir~. Security olso mode it difficult l

to ottret n*w employer for they could be told nothtn9 spociftc

obowt the work they would b. doing. hdood, fvu If QL~ of the

l mployas know Aot thv wmre ultimately worbfn9 on the otonttc

bomb. Vary l orfy In thr proioct’r dovelopmont, Arthur Compton,

l Iomding U. 5. physiclrt, vistted Dayton md spoke to tho

technic&f l rpfoyos at Unit lfl. As his speech )rowsssed ho

diwl~d that the worh woa in rhe nature of devofopoont of

- 0 weret wwpen, “we don’t know how far Cormory hos pwogremswd;

but whoover 9ots the onswor firrt will win rho WI*‘. As hr

rrotfd thir pdn8. however, Dr. Cum, fearing o brooch of .

s.curlty, topfdly chongad the ubfoct. This proved IO b. the

br99est hlmt l bwt the noturo o! thotr work that the Monsmto

l nployos twmfved until the bomb was dropprd on Jopan.

Crowtfa of the pmfoct provided oddlttonof problwnr. Now

ompfoyos woso moving to Dayton to apply &oir scientific

shills to the profoct. Housing was difficult to ftnd, portit-

ulaly rmn~ol houdhg for man with families. Eachoforr found

quatees in rooming hou:er, at the YMCA or #hared oportrsnts

when they could be found. The project’s businsrs office worked

with loco1 rmoltorr to locoto family housing cmd u&our l mployos

sconnod tho n~wspopor doily. It was through a nownpoper odver-

8

! ;.’ I

/

tisonont rhot o 16 room housa in thr foshionohlo Dohwood section

ot Dayton was found for rontof. Since the rrntbl fao wos much

too hl9h for on. Iomily, thrrm Monronto l mployor rmtod ths

rtructurm and throo fomllt~s l horrd the houro,i.The home WOI

uniguo both in its rlrr and Its lovirhnosr. Tho fivin9 room

contained o futl sirs pipe or~a which would horr bwm odsguoto

for o Iorgc church. The firoplc~ was Jorge mou9h for the

childron to hide behind rho andirons. Althou& thoro WOJ o

,four-car QOVO~~, none 01 tha new residents hod in outomobhle.

I’;! Tha Monaonto wives used children’s wagons oi &in9 their

grocorir~ homo from the store. Shopplng l *p~,dltIon~ by th*

rives must have born o sight to the n+hbors who WOW oc-

customod to sondin tf~ir butlorr to do ho rh+pping.

A proup of 30 to 40 mm with the Army’* Sprclol Engineor Oo-

tochmsnt (SED) were also orsignod to the Dayton Pgoirct.

Althou& military mm, they wore civilian clothes fop security

purpocrs. The top recr~ nature of the pcofott prosonted

rprciol problems to thase young, healthy, op9oront ciutllsns

in their off-duty bows. One of theso non wqs stopped by the

police who roquastod his idmtificotion. Hfs Class A 901s

showing spcciof detochod duty was not l doquate, hoievor, and he

was taken to the focof ioil. Such emergencies wore expected

and an officer ot Wright Fiofd hod beon designated OS o contact

non for identification of the SED p~tsonnrf. As IUCL would

9

hove ir, though. ho could not b. reached that night and the

hopIerr SE0 mar spsnl the m~iro nigh@ in ioil.

As rho moqnitudo 01 111s polonium production proprem vnfoldrd

avd the stmfI rew to meet l nlorgod sciwtific donmds, it

becone apporont that oddllional loborotory space would ba I*-

puked. The Dayton Ptoiocl hod l nponded topidly lroa its

sroll boginning to almost 200 porronn in Ierr than o yeor.

In Fobrroq 1944 the Aunrryn.o& Piorhourv in Oohwood was

ronled by the Army Corps of Engineers and turned over to

Moc\ronto. II was diIlicult. howerem, to obtain o leorc on

he propelty. Thr Signal Cotps had used the ptopcrty previ-

ovsl~ md local residents were unhopm with t5e conston)

-~TuI~) 01 popcrty atad cquip~rn~t ilr md out 01 ~hr a-~ighln~-

hood, one of the most ptsstigiour in Dayton.

The location, dasignoted Unit IV, CQS chosen primarily becwse

thert stood rho only building of odoquoto sire in Doylon that

could bm occupied irnmsdiotcly. Thw rentol ogteeaent stipulated

that the buildinq WQS )o be turned bock to I~O owncts in its

wiginsl condition. Tht building hod boon wrected in 1927 to

powid+ rrcreotiond focilitics fvt the Tolbott laily, ond

it provided some of the most unigva facilities evtv wcountec+d

in o scientific loboratory. Th *SO facilities includtd o cotrupokd

glass roof, scrwol praenhouscs. on indoor tennis CWII with

la

Uoit IV sire, Rurrnynteode Playhouse.

&t)rurtce to Unit IV viewed down the coiumraed portico. Only he Iront doorknob remains today.

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il ,uaun* Wl”dOW rcr.on. on4 hmd no r*lotionrhip to work at

4 Ruanymeada. it ir significmt to note that mot Q JIngb

5 OCC~~OII~ OCCWI~~ OB elthwr Monsanto location carsine my

V-4 injwv IO the publls.

Goof cow woa token 80 OSJVI~ the rofely of Ihe wrrounding

VV.~S. T~vctr equipped rith radiolion detection l puipmmt

node rog~lorly srhodulod runs throughout the ~WODW Doytar

OIOO, Evm OS IW OS 75 nilms dirt-t, air and roil ad

W.(W *I-@ ranpled to mnrvre hat rodioactlvlty wo8 not ro-

loosod in the comwnity,

Radioactivity in thm ioborotory had to b* corofully controll&.

Hero, scientists W~VO working with the forposl 8IUWUItJ 01

pokium ever isolated, and the associated rrdiooctivity was .

riqrificart. Emplay~r who we,. l rpored to rlg”ificmt aounts

of codiohvity on l daily borir W-V. chrelmd rogulaly both

for their own heoltb, and ~0 ossuro ,hot no con~omine,ion wos

looting the laborokry and ontmring the connutity.

khodulor VW. l arobll shed fog dolivery of the purified poloni-

UI( rh;ch wurm l mceptionaly hard to mnt. 11 beme on arl to

d&y the couior ariring td pith up the polonium. Some deed-

l imos wet, 60 close tbot an employo would b* sent ho to& with th*

courier ad to hoop him occupied whifo thy final toucher w*r* put on

14

*

1

the pacLog@*. Still, elf commilnonrr Dora net on1 Jhi)nJntr

welo mode on rchlrdulo.

#

AS wrly 0~ 1946 it become evidonb tltot 9 psrmunent polonium

production facility WOJ neodsd. Thus: Q proiect which l ocnm

thought right last only six months hod grown ro o state of

pemmencc. Amon, the locotimr considered fee the proposed

facility WOJ Q rite midwoy bwtwam the atomic plants OI Loa

Ala=o*, Now M*rlco ond l-fonford, Worhinpton. A Tann*sao-

location neor the Oak Ridge Atomic plant woe olso investigated.

The Dayton eeeo WQI &ally *oktad for o numbar of rmasonr

song which woto o good supply cl rkflled labor and adoquote ‘i

wotw on4 pow- ruppller. Thm si#r ;+lmetod tot Mound Lab-

oratory was on o hill 678 foot rrLavr fhe 1.0 Ievrl and about 2fIO

feds abovm the Momi River In Momloburg, Ohio. Adiatont IO

the leborotory i* the lagert conicol~lndian mound In the

atots of Ohlo. From this prohlstoric *rIoI pound the lab-

oratory derived its now. 1

h+wnd Laboratory b-coma thm first potnonmt Atomic Enrgy

Comnirsion facility rhen it was first occvpiod in Mmy 1948.

I Thrro were, in total, 14 ndor buildings constructed in the

I

wiginol 825.5~mill ion conplor with o tot01 floor OIOO of

366,000 qvare feet. Polonium procarring was slatted in

1 F ebruo,y 1949. I

IS

I

. .

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IO was decided that i( wow/d be both lasr l *pensive end

sofa to dismontla the Unit IV locotien than to rertoro it

)O ita orlginof condftim. Surveys rode after the rronafer

l t opwationm to Mound Labomto~y showed thor rhe krtwlor

of the ployhouse WOI highly cantomlnotmd. Darnolition WOI

startad In February I950 ad’+.:orrrpIotad later the amen*

yeor. The romainr were nuv~).tu Mound Lobero~ory by @ruck

md stored. Thm .xcAon YQI lilted with dirt, cove-d

rib sod, and roturnod to the ori$n~l OWM~I.

Unit 111. on rho O&W bond, l uhibitrd fovele of rodioottivity

which -we low enough to oflow dwantminmtion. Aft-1 *gulp-

rent WQI rawwaved, he buildin was cloonrd and retum~ ro

Ihe Board of Educahion in 1950. The Unit I location r?ill

op~oter a~ h Deyrm ~&oratory 01 Moewrn~o Rswarch Cove-

robion.

Thm ielms* work @hot began during 1943 was nowonly bared on.

produc,ion of rodioi sotop L. Since Iha, it has qnpmdrd inlo the

dorrlopront md production 01 lwc~ionol coapanrntr for reopw,r.

For l nunbwr of ;mors thi:s light mawlecturing has barn thm rnain-

r,oy ot the Loborotory.

1

i

i ! i I I I

- .------- Views ol southwest comet oi Unit IV during dismantling opcrotions in 1950.

i

Interior of Unit IV during dismmtling operations. AlI

muteri@ WQS lo&d into 55 gallon drut~ lor ~GITIOVO~ from

the site. The rtoge is visible in the background.

John [3radley Director oi Erplos ives Operations, holds the knob to the front door ot Runnymeade Ployhouse. Bradley come to he Dayton Projecr nijh the Army’s !&id Engineer Detachment in 1945.

Pwdvction of plutonium-138 grew out of ow l wly *MA with

pvlonium-210. Plutonium-138 is procasrrd in unprrcedmtd qucntl-

tiws to supply o bungoening donond lot hoot sources to bo ured in

th~rrnoel~ctric mrrpy conversion systmn. Thr boric phyricol, chomi-

cd, snd nuclear ptopwtior of those nuclidos are being studied intm-

sivcly. Ow l npwiomco in handling rodiooctivity Ied also to roswrch

with plu~amiun-239, o lual foe nucl~or power teaclots.

The i so~opic hoot sowee programs bagon with the development of a

rmoll thermoelectric 9ene1oto~ pewrrod by o radioactive isotope.

Satcllita~ ovbiting the aath 010 confirming thr potontiof of isotopic

generotors which convert irotopie heat to cf*ctricol energy. By the

early sirtics the Laboratory war firmly established QI th* country’r

loading monufoctuw of there powor SWICOS.

. . .’ EC-12-1994 16:41 FROM

usDoE/m

. TO 83014271534

P.013

The rrparat;on of stublo iso?sprr of the noblo gJJOJ uriiizing

thermal diffusion of goa began OS an l xpanrion of our isotopic

rosaoreh in tha mid-fifties. By 1964 thror*ticol and appliad VW

seqrch had l rtabti&od tha Labarotoy OS rho free world’r chief

supplier of those iroropel.

AJ nor programs oppasr MRC will conrinuo to dirwrihf in its IO-

roorch, dorelopmont, and production for tha komic &Orgy COW

mirsion. As new applications 01. found for iJO?opJJ in JpOCO l Z-

plarotion, medical research, and other trehnicol frontiers, Mound

Lobororory will crJofJ its future.’

Aerial view of Mound Labor~ory.

.