Documents and Maps. 4: The Story of Chernobyl in Documents. (HDA SBU, Fond 11, Sprava 992, Tom 29). Russian State Archive of Contemporary History, Fond 89, opis 53, delo 6. An Explosion Occurred in Power Unit No. It was not until alarms from radiation detectors in other countries, many hundreds of miles away, forced the Soviets to admit to the Chernobyl accident.Radioactive material was dispersed over 60,000 square miles of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Photo Credit: Ukrainian Society for Friendship and Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries (USFCRFC), The book by Alla Yaroshinskaya, "Chernobyl. The document lists the extent to which various information related to Chernobyl which should be classified, and for what reasons certain items may be shared. The report states that according to Ministry of Health representatives, adoption of special measures, including evacuating the population from the city, is unnecessary.. The National Security Archive is committed to digital accessibility. Dolgikh reports: The situation at the NPS is catastrophic. Ron DeSantis was in Japan on Monday to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and other officials as part of his four-nation trade mission seen . I decided to go to the newspaper Izvestia, where I found the coveted Xerox. How many people have been exposed? Similarly, Finlandanother country that had measured abnormally high radiation levelsrefrained from condemning the USSRs failure to release detailed information. This led to the deathsof more than a dozenpeople,hundreds becoming ill from radiation sickness, as well as environmental damage. The disastrous meltdown in the 4th reactor of the Chernobyl (Chornobyl) Atomic Electrical Station occurred on April 26th, 1986. Chebrikov, the Secretary of the CC CPSU A.N. Gubarev compares standards and regulations in the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Energy and finds the latter ones much weaker. Two weeks after the accident, an unnamed KGB officer from the Ukrainian SSR reports on the situation in evacuation sites, the sentiment of local people, the situation in transportation hubs and at key industrial facilities in Kyiv, as well as about the measures taken to prevent foreign journalists from gathering information about the case. On April 29, 1986, the International Herald Tribune ran a front-page headline Nuclear Accident At Soviet Plant Causes Injuries. Much of the article described what was known about the Chernobyl accident, but the concluding paragraph shifts the narrative to the Three Mile Island accident, termed The worst commercial nuclear accident in the United States (Compiled by Our Staff from Dispatches 1986). The hot core material of reactor 4 started about 30 separate fires in the unit 4 reactor hall and turbine building, as well as on the roof of the adjoining unit 3. This document discusses the violation of technical rules of reinforcement and concrete work in the construction of the Chernobyl plant, concluding that these deficiencies will diminish the quality of the energy output. May 12, 1986. The document describes levels of radiation in the immediate area, populations which may have been affected, and steps which have been taken in the days following the incident. Primary SourceExcerpt. 29. ], The Kremlin went to great lengths to hide the scale of the radiation debacle. Large amounts of radioactive material were released into the atmosphere, where it was carried great distances by air currents. At the same time, Matlock believes that there are ways we can capitalize on this indirectly. He predicts correctly that one could expect an upsurge in generalized anti-nuclear sentiments, unless we act rapidly to lead public opinion. Matlock also outlines a notional proposal for the elimination of nuclear weapons clearly responding to Gorbachevs proposal of January 1986. Washington, D.C., 20037, Phone: 202/994-7000 April 24, 2023 / 9:56 AM / AP. () At present, there are around 10 thousand tons of meat with contamination levels of radioactive materials from 1.1*10-7 Ci/kg to 1.0*10-g Ci/kg in storage in fridges of the meat industry in a number of regions, in August to December of this year it is expected that another 30 thousand tons of such meat will enter into production. And then comes the recommendation: disperse the meat contaminated with radioactive material around the country as much as possible, and use it for the production of sausage products, canned goods, and manufactured meat products at a ratio of one to 10 with normal meat.. These excerpts from the official working copy of Politburo sessions were published by Rudolph Pikhoia. This report discusses to violations of reactor design plans and the disintegration of load-bearing concrete due to extreme temperatures and improper wall insulation. After the accident occurred, the USSR was reluctant to share relevant details even though the international press and many countries demanded information. Dozens more people contracted serious radiation sickness; some of them later died. On the other hand, for someone analyzing a political or environmental issue, reports and pertinent news releases will be helpful sources of reliable data. The Nuclear Proliferation International History Project and the Cold War International History Project, both part of the Wilson Centers History and Public Policy Program, have published new translations of 28 documents about the Chernobyl nuclear accident from the archives of the Ukrainian Security Service, or the Ukrainian KGB. Excerpts from this amazing document are available to us thanks to the extraordinary work by the first Director of the Russian state archival agency (Rosarchiv), Rudolph Pikhoia, who published them in his book on the history of the Soviet government. (HDA SBU, Fond 9, Sprava 73). Protocol No. Source: IAEA Imagebank #02790036, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0. Overview from the Dictionary of Environmental Science and Technology. Chernobilsky Dossier KGB. V.A."' Secret. ByAdam Higginbotham Learn more about the Chernobyl Disaster through historical newspapers from our archives. This report explains ecological and security problems which arose several years later as a result of the Chernobyl accident, as well as areas for improvement in control of the reactor site and medical testing of the local population. Read more, One Woodrow Wilson Plaza1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NWWashington, DC 20004-3027, Nuclear Proliferation International History Project. Suite 701, Gelman Library Present: members of the Politburo of the CC CPSU Comrades N.I. Draft Collective European Statement on Chernobyl Implications, National Security Council Jack Matlock Memo on Strategy for US-Soviet Relations, Letter from Science Editor Vladimir Gubarev to the CC CPSU About His Trip to Chernobyl, Minutes of CC CPSU Politburo Session (Anatoly S. Chernyaev notes), FOIA Advisory Committee Oversight Reports. One study found no evidence that radiation exposure to parents resulted in new genetic . The English-speaking international press was particularly focused on the lack of information surrounding Chernobyl. SSR KGB. The surge destroyed the core of reactor unit four, containing approximately 200 tons of nuclear fuel. This was a shock: the special services were watching all of the deputies actions! Archive of the Gorbachev Foundation, Fond 2, opis 6, In these notes from a Politburo session, Chernyaev mainly records Gorbachevs interventions. March 1st, 1984 Report to M. Z. Banduristiy, the KGB Chief of the Ukrainian SSR in Kiev and the surrounding region on the emergency at the 3rd and 4th units of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Protocol No. (HDA SBU, Fond 11, Sprava 991, Tom 1). The Chernobyl meltdown resulted in scores of deaths and contamination over a wide area. Soviet authorities made the decision not to cancel May 1, May Day, outdoor parades in the region four days later.The graphite fire continued to burn for nearly two weeks carrying radioactivity high into the atmosphere, until it was smothered by sand, lead, dolomite, and boron dropped from helicopters. 12. Alexievich, S. (2006). Quote from Jorma K. Miettinen, a Finnish Helsinki University professor, lamenting Finlands failure to condemn the USSR (Kaufman and New York Times 1986). It goes on to discuss the increased global use of nuclear energy and requests information from the USSR on the cause of the explosion so that the other nuclear countries can avoid such an accident. For help citing interviews such as Voices from Chernobyl (below), Act Prohibiting the Importation of Slaves, INR Information Memorandum from Morton Abramowitz to the Secretary of State: Estimate of Fatalities at Chernobyl Reactor Accident, Extraordinary Session of the CC CPSU Politburo, April 28, 1986, Working copy, Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster, Untitled Notice on Levels of Radiation in Chernobyl NPP and Steps Taken in Response, Deputy Head of the 6th Department of the KGB Administration Lieut. Click image for link to full article (on Bowdoin network). The DOE team provided the analytical support to the U.S. delegation for the August, 1986 meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and to subsequent international meetings. Archive of the President of the Russian Federation (APRF), Record of Session of the CC CPSU Politburo, 28 April 1986, working copy, published in Rudolph Pikhoia, Sovetskii Soyuz: Istoriya Vlasti, 1945-1991 (Novosibirsk: Sibirskii Khronograph, 2000), pp. At the end of the session Gorbachev gives sweeping instructions on removing several ministers and lower-level officials for failure to prevent and deal with the consequences of the accident. (HDA SBU, Fond 11, Sprava 991, Tom 1). December 19th, 1978 Director of the Chernobyl District Department of the Ukr. It seems the worse the radiation spread, the healthier the Soviet people grew. Wilson Center History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive. And the main deadly isotope leaking out the Chernobyl reactor was not Cesium-137, but Deception-86. As it follows from the documents, the first meeting of the Politburo group was held on April 29, 1986. Member of the Politburo Vitaly Vorotnikov writes in his diary about the first information Politburo members received regarding the accident at the Chernobyl NPS (Nuclear Power Station). In this document, an unnamed KGB agent reports on the situation two weeks after the incident, including transportation and journalist suppression methods. Extraordinary session of the CC CPSU Politburo. This document discusses the violation of technical rules of reinforcement and concrete work in the construction of the Chernobyl plant, concluding that these deficiencies will diminish the quality of the energy output. A chain reaction nuclear energy, as well as conservation efforts to help restore and protect those areas of ecosystems most effected by the Chernobyl accident. Political fallout: The failure of emergency management at Chernobyl. April 27th, 1986 Untitled notice on levels of radiation in Chernobyl NPP and steps taken in response. After the Chernobyl accident, both the USA and the USSR had major incidents involving civilian nuclear power. Obtained through FOIA from the Central Intelligence Agency. Chief of General Staff Marshal Sergey Akhromeyev reports on the Soviet militarys efforts to contain the fire and clean the most radioactive parts of the accident site. 28 documents about the Chernobyl nuclear accident from the archives of the Ukrainian KGB now online at DigitalArchive.org. Wilson Center Digital Archive. These protocols, and all the granular details of how the Soviet leadership dealt with the accident day-by-day, are available to scholars and citizens due to the courage and decisiveness of a brave Russian journalist and subsequently member of the first democratically elected Supreme Soviet, Alla Yaroshinskaya, who published these protocols after the August 1991 coup in Moscow. Volume 2. I decided to immediately make copies of them. In April 2019, Higginbotham published an extremely useful selection of these documents on the Sources and Methods blog of the History and Public Policy Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. But, only after Sweden spent a full day demanding information from the USSR, did Moscow issue a 44 word statement regarding the Chernobyl accident (Schmemann and New York Times Service 1986). This collection contains Ukrainian and national KGB reports, Communist Party directives, and Ukrainian Academy of Science measurements which discuss technical issues with the plant, details of the accident, and emergency responses across the republic. The four reports are Comparison of DOE's Hanford N-Reactor with the Chernobyl Reactor (1986); Nuclear Power Safety International Measures in Response to Chernobyl Accident (1988); Nuclear Power Safety Chernobyl Accident Prompted Worldwide Actions but Further Efforts Needed (1991); and Construction of the Protective Shelter for the Chernobyl Nuclear Reactor Faces Schedule Delays, Potential Cost Increases, and Technical Uncertainties (2007).UNITED STATES CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS634 pages of transcripts from three Congressional hearings: The Chernobyl Accident Hearing before the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, Ninety-ninth Congress, 2nd session on the Chernobyl accident and implications for the domestic nuclear industry, June 19, 1986; The Effects of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant hearing before the Subcommittee on Nuclear Regulation, United States Senate, One Hundred Second Congress, second session, July 22, 1992; and The legacy of Chernobyl, 1986 to 1996 and beyond hearing before the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, One Hundred Fourth Congress, second session, April 23, 1996. goo, Chernobyl CIA Document on the Ukraine taking control of the area of Chernobyl nuclear power plant, Page from a Department of Defense report concerning the Chernobyl nuclear disaster fatalities, Chernobyl Disaster timeline, third page of a chronology from a Department of Energy report, Chernobyl Disaster timeline, fourth page of a chronology from a Department of Energy report, Chernobyl Shelter Project GAO report graphic shows proposed new shelter and its relative height to the State of Liberty and the enclosed existing shelter, Chernobyl Shelter Project GAO report information about the cost And funding of a Chernobyl shelter. It is emphasized that this is purely speculation as inside details are unknown. Isnt this criminal? The Higginbotham documents particularly detail the reaction of the Kiev authorities, ranging from the Council of Ministers to the Ukrainian Communist Party Central Committee to the Ministry of Health to the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. I opened the safe again, took out the first protocol from therethe originaland put the copy in its place. (1986, April 28). (HDA SBU, Fond 11, Sprava 992, Tom 29). A brief note from Vitaly Vorotnikovs diary shows a reassessment of the situation by Moscow. The Nuclear Trojan Horse drawing by Arthur H. Purcell calling for increased, international safety measures to the nuclear power industry (Purcell 1986). This document relays a conversation with a specialist in nuclear energy who explains how gaps at the joints of pipes are causing problems in the blocks at both the Chernobyl and Kursk plants. April 27th, 1986 Notice from the Operative Plenipotentiary of the 2nd Division of the 6th Administration of the Ukr. 9. This collection comes from a group of records which were declassified and shared on the website of the Ukrainian Center for Research on the Liberation Movements in 2016 to mark the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident. No immediate evacuation followed. (One of the authors of the idea of returning children and pregnant women to the danger zoneYuri Israelwas subsequently awarded the Order of Lenin for Chernobyl.), Secret recipes from the Politburo on the use of radioactive meat and milk are undoubtedly one of the strongest parts of the Kremlin-Chernobyl bestseller. The Chairman lists a series of directives and responses to the Chernobyl incident, addressed to different levels of KGB cadre, discussing ways to strengthen standards at nuclear power facilities, calling for increased responsibility for the failure of local KGB staff to inform the central command on plant issues, recommending that specialists be pulled in to ensure the safety of nuclear facilities going forward, and implementing more intense oversight at all nuclear plants and scientific research facilities to ensure that issues which may lead to accidents are known. He also sharply criticizes scientists for their independence and lack of party oversight of the institutes. February 3rd, 1987 Intelligence Message on the Chernobyl Accident. Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant AccidentCIA, Department of Defense, Department of Energy, Congressional, GAO, and Foreign Press Monitoring Files. Even in Bulgaria criminal proceedings took place for those who had lied to the people about the radiation. (HDA SBU, Fond 65, Sprava 1, Tom 34). Vorotnikov, V.L. Adam Higginbotham, author of "Midnight in Chernobyl," charts the official record of the Chernobyl disaster with documents from numerous Soviet archives. A blog of the History and Public Policy Program. The level of gamma radiation particles is up to 1000 microroentgens per second. Another richly documented account that begins with the trial of the Chernobyl plant operators in 1987 and analyzes the entire rise of the Soviet nuclear power industry is Sonja D. Schmids Producing Power (2015). . A reactor at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in northern Ukraine exploded, spreading radioactive clouds all over Europe and a large part of the globe. Memorial to Those who Saved the World,Chernobyl, Ukraine (Wikipedia), Declassified documents detail highest-level reactions, cover-ups, critiques, Sources include Politburo notes, diaries, protocols never before translated into English, Edited by Svetlana Savranskaya, Sarah Dunn, Brooke Lennox with Alla Yaroshinskaya, For more information, contact: The brochure discusses the reasons for the accident and compares Chernobyl and Soviet-style plants to those in the West, concluding that the French and American reactors possess superior safety standards. This document lists public responses to Chernobyl, citing a Ukrainian professor who attributed the accident to a Russian desire to exterminate Ukrainians, former members of underground Ukrainian Nationalist movements (OUN) expressing sympathy to those affected, and how several truck drivers refused to drive in area of the plant, choosing to quit their jobs instead. Chernobyl is a wonderfully written, beautifully acted masterpiece which tells the story of the terrible nuclear accident which occurred at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the USSR in 1986.
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