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Manhattan District History Project Y: the Los Alamos Project

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Manhattan District History Project Y: the Los Alamos Project ., r . ) LA]MS-2532 (vol. ‘ II) I I - ..- [ 4 DS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY ‘ THE UNIVERSITYOF CALIFORNIAo LOSALAMOS NEW MEXICO ‘} , \ J – MANHATTAN DISTRICT HISTORY = ->=0 c— PROJECT Y THE LOS ALAMOS PROJECT ——— . .. i DO NOT CIRCULATE PERMANENT RETENTION + 1 .— . “. 1-- I .. ,..: ,- . ..= ~ .- ., . ., LEGAL NOTICE This repo~t was prepared as an account of Govern- ment sponsored work. Neitherthe UnitedStates, nor the Commission, nor any person acting on behalf of the Com- mission: A. Makesanywarrantyor representation,expressed . ‘or implied, withrespect to theaccuracy, completeness, or usefulness of the information containedin this report, or that theuse of anyinformation,apparatus,method,or pro- cess disclosed in this report may not infringe privately owned rights; or B. Assumes any liabilities with respect to the use of, or for damagesresultingfrom the use of any informa- . tion, apparatus,method,or process disclosed in this re- port. As used in theabove, “person actingon behalf of the Commission” includes any employee or contractor of the Commission, or employeeof suchcontractor, to theextent that such employee or contractor of the Commission, or employee of such contractor prepares, disseminates, or provides access to, any informationpursuantto his em- ploymentor contract with the Commission, or his employ- ment with such contractor. ... Printed in USA Piice $ 2.00. Availablefrom the Office of Technical Servtces U. S. Departmentof Commerce Washington25, D. C. a . i . ..- . LAMS-2532(Vol. Ii) SPECIALDISTRIBUTION LOS ALAMOS SCIENTIFIC LABORATORY OF THE UNIVERSITYOF CALIFORNIA LOS ALAMOS NEW MEXICO REPORTWRITTEN:1946 and 194’7 REPORT DISTRIBUTED:December 1, 1961 MANHATTAN DISTRICT HISTORY PROJECT Y THE LOS ALAMOS PROJECT ● VOL. II. AUGUST 1945 THROUGH DECEMBER 1946 by ● Edith C. Truslow and Ralph Carlisle Smith t ContractW-7405-ENG. 36 with the .U.S. Atomic Energy Commission This LAMS report has been prepared because of the demand for and interest in the historical information. The two volumes have not been edited except for classification purposes nor verified for accuracy. All LAMS reports express the views of the authors as of the time they were written and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory or the final opinion of the authors on the subject. I — -.— .- . i . b . ABSTRACT These two volumes constitute a record of the technical, administrative, and policy-making activities of the Los Alamos Project (Project Y) from its inception under the Manhattan District through the development of the atomic bomb (Vol. I), and during the period following the end of World War XI until the Manhattan District relinquished control to the Atomic Energy Commission as of January 1947 (Vol. II). Although. security regulations have required some deletions in the origi- nal text of the two volumes, every effort has been made to retain tie original language and expressions of the authors. iii Ji PREFACE The technical history for Project Y, from its inception until August 1945, has been recorded in l_JIMS-2532, Vol. I. It is the purpose of this work to present the activities of the Los Alamos Laboratory from August 1945 until the end of December 1946, when the Manhattan District relinquished its control. No attempt has been made to interpret events, or to forecast the importance of scientific developments during this period. This book is merely a chronicle of the reorganization, philosophy, and subsequent achieve- ments which transpired in this critical interim period following the cessation of hostilities. When a cross reference is made to material within this volume, the paragraph number is in parentheses. When reference is made to Vol. I, this is so indicated. Historical material for this supplement came from the Director, Dr. N. E. Bradbury; the Administrative Associate Director, Lt. Col. A. W. Betts; the seven Technical Division Lesders: Carson Mark, J. M. B. Kellogg, Marshall Holloway, Eric Jette, Max Roy, R. W. Henderson, and Ralph Carlisle Smith. Further assistance was rendered by J. F. Mullaney, Report Editor, and A. E. Dyhre, Business Manager. The various division Progress Reports were consulted frequently to maintain the chronological order of events, and the central files were extensively used for documentary material. 15 October 1947 n . ‘$. CONTENTS Page . ABSTRACT 111 PREFACE v SUMMARY BY CHAPTERS 1 CHAPTER I. GENERAL AND TECHNICAL REVIEW 10 Necessity for Post War Policy 10 General 10 Personnel Problems 10 Miscellaneous Problems 12 Proposed Philosophies 13 Transition Period 13 ● Peacetime Activities Introduced 14 The Los Alamos Universi& 14 Program for Consultants 15 April Conference 15 University Affiliation Conference 15 August Conference 16 Health and Safety Program 16 Radiation Fatalities 17 Water Shortage 17 Technical Organization 17 Technical Advisory Boards 19 Continuance of the Weapon Engineering Program 19 Operation Crossroads 20 CHAPTER II. ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION 24 Introduction 24 vii Page Administrative Structure 24 Associate Director Appointed 24 Administration and Services Division Formed 25 Technical Staff Groups 25 Business Office 26 British Mission 26 Organization of A and S Division December 1946 26 Personnel Group 27 Personnel Services Group 30 shops 31 Supply and Property Group 33 Tech Area Maintenance 35 Safety 36 Photographic Group 37 Health Group 39 General 39 Administration 39 Functions 39, Business Office 43 Introduction 43 Laboratory Payroll 43 Time and Attendance Reports . 43 Travel Disbursement 44 Local Expenditures - Other Than Payroll and Travel 44 Additional Activities 46 Compensable Industrial Accidents ‘ 50 Insurance .. 52 General 53 CHAPTER III. THEORETICAL PHYSICS DIVISION 54 Introduction 54 Organization 54 Effects of Test and Combat Nuclear Explosions 57 Radiation Hydrodynamics 57 Super 58 Super Conference, .58 Power-Producing Devices 59 Repetitive Dragon 59 Fast Reactor .. ,,, . 59 viii Page CHAPTER IV. PHYSICS DMSION 60 Formation of P-Division 60 4- Physics Division Activities 61 The Fast Reactor 62 .1 64 d The Electronics Group The Water Boiler 65 Particle Accelerators 66 Cockcroft-Walton Accelerator and Short Tank 67 Cockcroft-Walton Accelerator 67 Short Tank Van de Graaff 68 Van de Graa.ff Construction 68 The Betatron Group 70 Cyclotron 71 Cosmic Radiation Studies 72 CHAPTER V. M-DMSION 74 Formation of M-Division 74 General Responsibilities 75 Critical Assembly 76 Special Photography 78 CHAPTER VI. CHEMISTRY AND METALLURGY RESEARCH DIVISION 80 Division Organization 80 General Policy of CMR Research 81 Specific Division Program 82 Chemistry Activities 83 Analytical 83 Chemical Research and Development 83 Initiator Chemistry 84 Radiochemistry 84 Metallurgical Developments 85 Physical Metallurgy 85 Metal Fabrication 85 Metal Production 86 Metal Physics 87 Plutonium Production 87 Health Instruments and Indoctrination 89 a 4 ix . Page CHAPTER VII. EXPLOSIVES DIVISION 90 Organization of X-Division 90 4 Radiography Group 91 The Explosives Research Group 92 Explosives Production 92 Detonation physics 93 Detonator Production 93 Detonation and Shock Phenomena 93 CHAPTER VIII. ORDNANCE ENGINEERING (Z) DMSION 95 Organization of Z-Division 95 Program of Z-Division 96 Testing Program 96 Designing Program 97 Stock Pile Program 97 Bomb Assembly 98 Organization as of December 1946 99 CHAPTER IX. DOCUMENTARY DMSION 100 Introduction 100 Formation of D-Division 101 The Technical Series 102 . Design and Drafting Group 103 Declassification Program 104 . CHAPTER X. CONCLUSION 106 APPENDIXES 111 1. Dr. Bradburyls Philosophy 113 2. Groves - Bradbury Letter 127 3. Catalog of Courses 131 4. Los Alamos University Statistics 143 5. Report of University Affiliations Conference 147 6. Nuclear Physics Conference Program 203 7. Description of Technical Series 207 8. Bradbury~s Letter to Atomic Energy Commission 213 INDEXES 225 Name 227 Subject 231 x . SUMMARY BY CHAPTERS I. General and Technical Review With the close of hostilities and the absence of national legislation on atomic energy, the Los Alamos Laboratory and Manhattan Engineer District were suddenly faced with the problem of determining a policy for a labora- tory previously concerned with the production of an atomic weapon as soon as possible to end World War II. Personnel problems existed which were not only difficult to surmount, but in many cases were insolvable because of the mental attitude of the nuclear scientists relative to a weapon produc - tion organization. At that time, the Lab~ratory staff could be divided into five groups: . (a) Academic personnel on leave from universities and colleges (b) Young l%. D. fs recently from graduate school (c) Graduate students with varying experience . (d) Technicians, administrative, and clerical (e) Officers and enlisted personnel of the Army and Navy The attitudes of these individuals were as varied as their backgrounds. Some wished to remain at Los Alamos, but were committed to other posi- tions. Others were indifferent to the Laboratory!s future after victory was won. And as the technical and administrative future of the project was un- clear, others preferred not to gamble on the outcome. Opinions, as to the future policy for Los Alamos, varied as much as the types of persons. One school of thought suggested the Laboratory should become a monument; another group felt that it should conduct only peaceful research and abandon the atomic weapon; still a third group held that the design and production of atomic weapons must be continued. During this transition
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