The Day We Lost the H-Bomb: Cold War, Hot Nukes, and the Worst Nuclear Weapons Disaster in History

by Barbara Moran

  Several characters in the book were also invaluable in my research. Joe Ramirez and his wife, Sylvia, sat for hours of interviews, shared personal notes and photographs, and told me where to stay in Madrid. Mike Rooney, Charlie Wendorf, and Larry Messinger, the three pilots who survived the crash, shared their stories during several interviews. Brad Mooney gave me time, stories, and good humor. Red Moody sat for hours of interviews, shared his life story, answered endless questions and e-mails, and wouldn't let me pay for lunch. Bill Barton answered countless questions over four years. Lewis Melson, one of the first people I interviewed, loaned me photos and personal letters. Art Markel kindly took the time for a long interview and a tour of the Aluminaut, despite his advanced illness.

  Within the Navy, Lieutenant Lesley Lykins and Lieutenant Commander Leslie Hull-Ryde helped arrange research trips. Lieutenant Mike Morley at Rota floored me with his organizational abilities. Bobbi Petrillo at NAVSEA worked on my FOIA requests for years and sometimes sent informal notes with advice and encouragement. Ed Finney, Jr., was an enthusiastic and helpful photo archivist at the Naval Historical Center. Matt Staden, Gary Weir, and John Sherwood helped me find documents at the Naval Historical Center. Tom Lapuzza at SPAWAR illuminated the story of CURV. Lieutenant Commander Brad Andros, Master Diver Ron Ervin, Commander Miguel Gutierrez, and the divers of EOD 6 allowed me to observe their training and learn what makes divers tick.

  In the Air Force, Sid Girardin at Pease Air Force Base arranged for me to fly on a KC-135, observe a midair refueling, and speak with SAC veterans. The staff at Minot Air Force Base allowed me to tour a B-52 and interview pilots. Joe Caver at AFHRA and Ann Webb at the Air University Library helped me find documents to flesh out the history of SAC.

  On the civilian side, Shelley Dawicki, Rosemary Davis, and Lisa Raymond helped me find documents at WHOI. Liz Caporelli, Bob Brown, and Bruce Strickrott, also at WHOI, arranged my visit to Alvin and took time to give me an extensive tour. Zach Elder at Duke University was a great help with the Angier Biddle Duke papers, and Myra O'Canna was a great help with photos. Becky Kenny, David Hoover, and Sam Bono at the National Atomic Museum helped with archives and interview space, and were very gracious during my two visits. David Hahn and Nancy Tait at the Science Museum of Virginia helped me uncover a treasure trove of Aluminaut documents in a dusty storeroom.

  The staff of the LBJ Library, the National Archives at College Park, Maryland, and the MIT Libraries were patient and knowledgeable. Randall Bergmann at DTIC tracked down the TF 65 final report. At Sandia and the NNSA, Terry Apodaca and Stefani Holinka helped push my FOIA requests through the system. Francis Smith shared stories of life on the Albany and the best brisket in Austin.

  In Spain, Anouschka Orueta, my translator, gave me insights into her country. Her work went well beyond the call of duty. José Herrera Plaza generously opened his home and his files, gave me his time, and fed me well. And in Boston, the very patient Joe Federico tutored me in Spanish.

  A number of scholars and historians took time to share their knowledge and research. Jerry Martin, the USSTRATCOM historian, gave insight on strategic bombing, the mighty hammer of SAC, and many other things. He kindly reviewed chapter 1 and offered comments. Scott Sagan of Stanford University shared research gathered for his book The Limits of Safety. Edwin Moïse of Clemson shared his knowledge and insights into the Tonkin Gulf incidents. Richard Rhodes offered leads and SAC stories. Andy Karam, a health physicist at the Rochester Institute of Technology, explained nuclear fusion and alpha radiation and generously reviewed certain technical sections of this book.

  I also owe a great debt to Flora Lewis and Tad Szulc, two newspaper reporters who published books about the accident in 1967. These two books, One of Our H-Bombs Is Missing (Lewis) and The Bombs of Palomares (Szulc), offer clear, straightforward reporting, with details of Palomares in 1966 and the immediate aftermath of the crash. These accounts were especially valuable because the town of Palomares today bears little resemblance to the town in this story and several key characters are deceased. Thus, occasionally I relied heavily on one of these two books. In those instances I either quoted them outright or cited their contribution in the endnotes.

  Closer to home, I'd like to thank Doug Starr, who taught me well and saw promise in this story, and Ellen Ruppel Shell, who told me to swim at Mojácar. Johanna Kovitz, my transcriber, offered lots of enthusiasm and news tips. Karen Rowan and John Ost provided excellent research assistance. Carey Goldberg helped with the Lotsman and other things Russian. Jon Palfreman funded a research trip to Florida to interview Mac McCamis and Larry Messinger. Fred Schwarz, my editor at Invention & Technology, suggested I turn this story into a book. Jonathan Jao, my editor at Random House, gave me wonderful edits and made my first draft much better. Without his help, the book would have sunk under the weight of chapter 8. My agent, Michelle Tessler, offered encouragement and advice, and worked hard to get this story noticed. Shannon Densmore and my sister Patty were great friends throughout, especially after Finny was born. And my friend Steven Bedard read early drafts of this book for a measly payment of sardines. If I had the means, I would offer him a ride on the Trieste.

  Finally, I want to thank my husband, Brian, who always believed in me and this story. Over the past six years, he has listened to endless stories of Alvin and H-bombs, read many drafts of this book, helped me drive in Spain, and offered other assistance, large and small. I owe him more than I can say.

  BIBLIOGRAPHY

  ABBREVIATIONS

  AFHRA Air Force Historical Research Agency

  DOD US Department of Defense

  DOE US Department of Energy

  DOS US Department of State

  Duke Duke University Rare Book, Manuscripts and Special Collections Library

  FOIA Freedom of Information Act (denotes a document obtained through a FOIA request)

  LBJ Lyndon B. Johnson Library

  LANL Los Alamos National Laboratory

  NARA National Archives and Records Administration

  NHC Naval Historical Center

  NNSA National Nuclear Security Agency

  SMV Science Museum of Virginia

  SNL Sandia National Laboratories

  WHOI Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute

  PRINT MATERIAL

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  Aircraft Salvage Operation Mediterranean (Aircraft Salvops Med). Sea Search and Recovery of an Unarmed Nuclear Weapon by Task Force 65, Sixth Fleet, 17 January–7 April, 1966, vols. 1–4. U.S. Department of the Navy, Naval Ship Systems Command. Reston, Va.: Ocean Systems, February 15, 1967. (NHC, FOIA.)

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  ——. “Search Operations in the Thresher Area—1964, Section II.” Naval Engineers Journal, October 1965.

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  ——. Notes on the EOD Render Safe Procedure of Weapon #4 (W28 #45345) near Palomares Spain, March 15, 1966. Document no. SAC200118480000. Confidential. (NNSA, FOIA.)

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  Deck Logs of the USS Ability, MSO-519. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Albany, CG-10. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Boston, CAG-1. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Charles R. Ware, DD-865. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Fort Snelling, LSD-30. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Hoist, ARS-40. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Petrel, ASR-14. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Pinnacle, MSO-462. 1966. (NARA.)

  Deck Logs of the USS Wallace L. Lind, DD-703. 1966. (NARA.)

  “Defense under Fire.” Time, May 14, 1956.

  Dennis, Jack, ed. The Nuclear Almanac: Confronting the Atom in War and Peace. Reading, Mass.: Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1984

  “Description of Normal Operation.” Document no. SAC200118830000. (NNSA, FOIA.)

  Dickson, Paul. Sputnik: The Shock of the Century. New York: Berkley Books, 2001.

  Druckman, Daniel. Negotiating Military Base-Rights with Spain, the Philippines, and Greece: Lessons Learned. Arlington, Va.: George Mason University, Center for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, 1990.

  Duke, Angier Biddle. Address to American Management Association. January 17, 1966. Angier Biddle Duke Papers, Box 18. (Duke.)

  ——. Notes Taken After First Visit to the Palomares Site. April 5, 1968. Angier Biddle Duke Papers, Box 64, Palomares folder. (Duke.)

  ——. “Remarks of Ambassador Angier Biddle Duke on ‘CBS Special Report.’” March 16, 1966. Angier Biddle Duke Papers, Box 18. (Duke.)

  “Duke, Angier Biddle.” Current Biography, vol. 23, no. 2. New York: H. W. Wilson Co., February 1962. Angier Biddle Duke Papers, Box 1. (Duke.)

  Finney, John W. “Research Submarine Will Hunt for Lost H-Bomb.” The New York Times, January 28, 1966.

  ——. “U.S. Concedes Loss of H-Bomb in Spain.” The New York Times, March 3, 1966.

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&n
bsp; Kramer, Andrew E. “Recalling Cold War, Russia Resumes Long-Range Sorties.” The New York Times, August 18, 2007.

  Larus, Joel. Nuclear Weapons Safety and the Common Defense. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1967.

  LeMay, Curtis, with MacKinlay Kantor. Mission with LeMay: My Story. New York: Doubleday and Company, 1965.

  “LeMay Discusses Air War of Future.” The New York Times, November 20, 1945.

  “LeMay Says Flaw Has Delayed B-52; 31 of 78 Rejected.” The New York Times, May 3, 1956.

  “LeMay Sees Peril to Nation by 1959: Gives Senators ‘Guess’ That Soviet Surprise Attack Could Destroy U.S.” The New York Times, May 27, 1956.

  Leviero, Anthony “Air Critics Omit Navy and B-47's, Eisenhower Says. Public Will Feel ‘Lot Better’ When Full Story Is Told, President Promises.” The New York Times, May 5, 1956.

  ——. “Big Russian Jets Estimated at 100.” The New York Times, May 4, 1956.

  ——. “General LeMay Fears Soviet Lead in Air by 1960.” The New York Times, May 1, 1956.

  ——. “3.8 Billion More a Year Is Sought in Bomber Funds.” The New York Times, June 12, 1956.

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