1 06 Dahlgren 



Of course, we were held strictly accountable for everything. We had inspec- 

 tion teams from AEC that would show up periodically without warning, go 

 through the books, go through the ledgers, and weigh all the materials we had. 

 We had to account for any type of fissionable material right down to the fraction 

 of a gram. They would really inspect us and make sure that we were maintain- 

 ing all security clearances. 



A lot of the material was shipped in and out of here by rail. We'd meet the 

 train in Washington and pick up the material there from a guard who brought 

 it through on the train. A lot of it we would take to the AEC building in 

 Washington and make the changeover there. Some of it came in by air, and 

 when an airplane landed, we'd know exactly where it was all the way across the 

 country. We were informed when it took off frorn Los Alamos or Albuquerque 

 and when it stopped. We were notified when it stopped in Chicago for refueling 

 or takeoff. When it appeared in the sky here, we'd go meet it. 



Uranium, you know, is very heavy material. We would get shipments of 

 mostly natural uranium components, and those little boxes were 8 inches 

 square and a foot high. We'd go to the plane and take some sailors along to help 

 us unload the materials. We'd ask them to pick up that little box over there and 

 set it in the truck. It was a small box. The guys would goover andgrabholdof it, 

 and they'd think it was nailed to the floor. Those little boxes would weigh 100 

 pounds. 



You said everybody wanted to get into the Butler hut during the war. Did you ever have 

 trouble with unauthorized people trying to get in? 



There was a lot of curiosity. People wanted to know what was going on. 

 Actually, the marines were supposed to keep a special eye on tbat, and they had 

 floodlights all around. Every once in awhile, the marines would be tested by 

 what they called the "Invasion Team." Not too many people knew things like 

 this really went on here. Those teams were usually EOD people out of Indian 

 Head. They'd come down the river, and nobody would know when this type of 

 activity would take place, but they would come down the river by boat and land 

 out on the shore. They would attempt to hang a handkerchief on the fence 

 around the Butler building, and they succeeded several times — getting in and 

 putting a handkerchief or flag up on the fence and getting back out without 

 being detected. When this would happen, they'd notify somebody that they'd 

 made an attempt or succeeded. 



It's a wonder the marines didn't shoot them. 



They would have shot at them had they seen them. That was part of the 

 game. This was done a time or two just to check security. They were very fussy 

 about security in those days, particularly regarding atomic weapons. 



