.&c-12-19’% 16:37 Ff?ON . USDOE/DAO TO 83014271534 P.002 __ .__-- ---- r- \A ....------- -- ~cwd~ HIZTORY THE PHYTOIIPROJECT ‘EC-12-1994 16: 37 FROM usDoEaRo TO e3014271534 P.003 : w HlSfORY OF THE DAYTON PROJECT Keith V. Gilbert I ! June 1969 llonsanco 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. Chorlcs A. Thomas, Project Direcbr, 1943- 1945. In March 19J9, only a for warhr oftor the discovaty 01 uranium fission, the possible military inportoncr of atomic snargy was Dr. Charles Allen Thomas WI. director of knsanto’~ Cmtrof crllod to the rftartian of the U. S. Gorcmmnt. In the autumn Resswch Doportmone in Dqton whm, fn 1943, ho WOJ tolled to cl 1939, the first Go~ornnent committoe on urmiun was craotrd. Washington for o conferonce wlth Choral LosIlo Gvov*~. Groves The initial work was &no In various univsrsltiss with the ovorolf hod been assigned rerponriblilty lor the Manhottm Prolsct in effort being somewhat loosely orgonirad. By the ondof 194 I, on September, 1949. Also p,rrsnt at the can/srenc~ WQJ Jamor Conont cmteosirc review indicctted that on increased l ffort on the uranium who hod horn prosidmt of Horvord Unlvrrsity prior to his appoint- project should bc undrttnkcn under th odminirt~otion of o ry01e ment lo the Notional Dolrnre Rereorch Commitleo. Aftos swoaing forrol orgoni lotion. This decision was approved by Preaidant Thomas to secrecy, they rovooled to him the top recrot plan to Roorovelt. fn the summ~ 01 1942, the Army Corps of Engineurr build an otomicborb. Following several days 01 meatlngs ard orgmisod the Manh~a Engineer District for this purpose. 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 a 3 I SC-12-1994 16:38 Ff?Ul usDoEam TO 63014271534 P. 005 p ;. 2 ;’ ; f q&j 1% ;gp-Jv-4 ; 0 ? f :. 3 r ;r 3 ;i 3 ;I Qi! t-i i ;;;g. is l ; g $ i ; z!:$, i * g F !! a e v f 4 : a$;; 5 0 3 3 7 919 aQz.o-? r: *;; 3 !$ fgiI$H m* % :r f - .- g- 7 - ; - 0 2 ; :. 3 d 2 . : 0 5: . 9 5 ;. as-, 2 ; 0 = * 0 = 2 L,’ a f” --- .-C_... I 2 #S P a p ; r 0 2. e 5. d3:X> ; c l g ‘; -. r ; * 0 b - ? I 3;;: n 1” F . 5 F 3Q 3 ;5 i 0 3 Y. 5! 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Even insido the plant &to rocur~ty pre- tisonont rhot o 16 room housa in thr foshionohlo Dohwood section cautions wao tohen. Palumium was reforrod to by coda nom.4 to ot Dayton was found for rontof. Since the rrntbl fao wos much l ovoid ~ccidontol comprorir~. Security olso mode it difficult too hl9h for on. Iomily, thrrm Monronto l mployor rmtod ths to ottret n*w employer for they could be told nothtn9 spociftc rtructurm and throo fomllt~s l horrd the houro,i.The home WOI obowt the work they would b. doing. hdood, fvu If QL~ of the uniguo both in its rlrr and Its lovirhnosr. Tho fivin9 room l mployas know Aot thv wmre ultimately worbfn9 on the otonttc contained o futl sirs pipe or~a which would horr bwm odsguoto bomb. Vary l orfy In thr proioct’r dovelopmont, Arthur Compton, for o Iorgc church. The firoplc~ was Jorge mou9h for the l Iomding U. 5. physiclrt, vistted Dayton md spoke to tho childron to hide behind rho andirons. Althou& thoro WOJ o technic&f l rpfoyos at Unit lfl. As his speech )rowsssed ho ,four-car QOVO~~, none 01 tha new residents hod in outomobhle. P diwl~d that the worh woa in rhe nature of devofopoont of Tha Monaonto wives used children’s wagons I’oi;! &in9 their - 0 weret wwpen, “we don’t know how far Cormory hos pwogremswd; grocorir~ homo from the store. Shopplng l *p~,dltIon~ by th* but whoover 9ots the onswor firrt will win rho WI*‘. As hr rives must have born o sight to the n+hbors who WOW oc- rrotfd thir pdn8. however, Dr. Cum, fearing o brooch of . customod to sondin tf~ir butlorr to do ho rh+pping. s.curlty, topfdly chongad the ubfoct. This proved IO b. the br99est hlmt l bwt the noturo o! thotr work that the Monsmto A proup of 30 to 40 mm with the Army’* Sprclol Engineor Oo- l nployos twmfved until the bomb was dropprd on Jopan. tochmsnt (SED) were also orsignod to the Dayton Pgoirct. it\ Althou& military mm, they wore civilian clothes fop security !i!! Crowtfa of the pmfoct provided oddlttonof problwnr. Now purpocrs. The top recr~ nature of the pcofott prosonted Y! ompfoyos woso moving to Dayton to apply &oir scientific rprciol problems to thase young, healthy, op9oront ciutllsns shills to the profoct. Housing was difficult to ftnd, portit- in their off-duty bows. One of theso non wqs stopped by the LLri ulaly rmn~ol houdhg for man with families. Eachoforr found police who roquastod his idmtificotion. Hfs Class A 901s quatees in rooming hou:er, at the YMCA or #hared oportrsnts showing spcciof detochod duty was not l doquate, hoievor, and he w when they could be found. The project’s businsrs office worked was taken to the focof ioil. Such emergencies wore expected with loco1 rmoltorr to locoto family housing cmd u&our mployos 3 l and an officer ot Wright Fiofd hod beon designated OS o contact sconnod tho n~wspopor doily. It was through a nownpoper odver- H non for identification of the SED p~tsonnrf. As IUCL would 84 8 9 i!I -aB 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 Uoit IV sire, Rurrnynteode Playhouse. 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 &t)rurtce to Unit IV viewed down the coiumraed portico. Only he Iront doorknob remains today. glass roof, scrwol praenhouscs. on indoor tennis CWII with la - I>EC-12-1994 16:39 FROM usDoE/DFy3 TO 83014271534 P.Em9 . $7 3 5. “0 8 5 5’ 0 d 0 .’ f0 .