LETTER TO ROBERT GATES FROM (SANITIZED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP88G01117R000401020005-9
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: July 5, 2011
• Sequence Number: 5
• Publication Date: May 2, 1986
• Content Type: LETTER

Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/05: CIA-RDP88GO1117R000401020005-9
Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2011/07/05: CIA-RDP88GO1117R000401020005-9
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0 011712Z MAY 86 ZFF4
FM AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC NIACT IMMEDIATE 8614
INFO RUFHBE/AMEMBASSY BELGRADE PRIORITY 8939
RUFHE3/AMEMBASSY
BERLIN PRIORITY 3274
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BUDAPEST PRIORITY 7485
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LONDON
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PRAGUE
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SOFIA
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C 0 N F I D E N T
I A L
BUCHAREST 03143
EXDIS
LONDON FOR RMO ARNOLD WEBER AT MED CONFERENCE
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: ENGR, TRGY, PREL, AMED, RO
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SUBJECT: ROMANIA REQUESTS SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE ON
2. SUMMARY: FOLLOWING A SUDDEN INCREASE IN RADIO.
ACTIVITY ON MAY 1, GOR LEADERSHIP HELD AN EMERGENCY
MEETING, WHICH DECIDED TO FORM A SPECIAL COMMITTEE,
REVIEW THE ALARMING MEASUREMENTS, AND SEEK U.S.
SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE. ACTION REQUESTED: AN IMMEDIATE
REPLY TO THE ROMANIAN REQUEST, INCLUDING THE POSSI-
BILITY OF SENDING AN EXPERT ON RADICACTIVE FALLOUT
TO ROMANIA. IF SERIOUS DAMAGE TO DAIRY OR OTHER
FOOD SUPPLIES SEEMS LIKELY, USG SHOULD BEGIN
CONSIDERING WHETHER IT WOULD NOT BE IN OUR INTEREST
TO OFFER EMERGENCY FOOD ASSISTANCE. END SUMMARY.
3. FOREIGN MINISTER VADUVA CALLED IN DCM TO AN "URGENT"
MEETING ON MAY 1. IN ABSENCE OF AMBASSADOR WHO IS
TRAVELLING IN ROMANIA. IOAN URSU, FIRST VICE CHAIRMAN
OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY,
ACCOMPANIED THE FOREIGN MINISTER AND LED THE DISCUSSION.
MARIN IVASCU, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE STATE COMMITTEE FOR
NUCLEAR ENERGY, JOINED LATER. RACEANU (MFA) WAS ALSO
PRESENT. URSU NOTED THAT THE EMBASSY HAD INQUIRED ABOUT
RADIATION LEVELS ON APRIL 30 (REF A), AND EXPRESSED
APPRECIATION FOR OUR INTEREST.
4. URSU SAID THAT AS SOON AS GOR LEARNED ABOUT THE
CHERNOBYL INCIDENT, IT HAD ALERTED ITS NATIONAL NETWORK
OF MONITORING STATIONS TO MEASURE AIR, WATER AND SOIL
RADIOACTIVITY. UNTIL THE NIGHT OF APRIL 30/MAY 1,
THERE HAD BEEN NO SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN RADIOACTIVITY
-? WHICH HAD RESULTED IN A "COMMUNIQUE" OF THE NATIONAL
COUNCIL FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO THAT EFFECT ON
APRIL 30. (NOTE: WE HAVE NOT SEEN THIS REPORT.)
5. DURING THE NIGHT OF APRIL 30/MAY 1, THERE WAS A
GREAT INCREASE IN RADIOACTIVITY IN SEVERAL REGIONS OF
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ROMANIA, ESPECIALLY IN THE NORTHEASTERN PART, URSU
CONTINUED. PRESIDENT CEAUSESCU CHAIRED A MEETING OF
THE LEADERSHIP TO REVIEW THE RESULTS, WHICH URSU
ATTENDED IN HIS OFFICIAL CAPACITY AND AS A PHYSICIST.
THE LEADERSHIP DECIDED TO FORM A PARTY/STATE GROUP,
HEADED BY ACADEMICIAN ELENA CEAUSESCU TO IMPLEMENT THE
NECESSARY MEASURES TO PROTECT THE PCPULATION, LIVE-
STOCK AND THE COUNTRY IN GENERAL. THE LEADERSHIP
ALSO ASKED TO PASS TO U.S. AUTMORITIES,IN CONFIDENCE,
THE KEY RADIOACTIVE MEASUREMENTS, AND A REQUEST FOR
ASSISTANCE BY SPECIALISTS OR APPROPRIATE MATERIALS
TO HELP ANALYZE THE SITUATION IN ROMANIA. URSU SAID
THAT SINCE IT WAS A HUMANITARIAN MATTER, GOR DID NOT
OBJECT TO SHARING THE INFORMATION WITH OTHER STATES,
BUT ASKED REPEATEDLY THAT IT BE HELD CONFIDENTIALLY.
6. MEASUREMENTS OF RADIOACTIVITY AT 4:30 TO 5:00 A.M.
ROMANIAN TIME, MAY 1 (AFTER NEGLIGIBLE REPORTS UP TO
NIGHT OF APRIL 30):
A. IASI (MOLDAVIA):
-- SOIL RADIOACTIVITY SLIGHTLY OVER ALARM LEVEL
(50,000 PICO CURIES PER SQUARE METER).
AIR: CLOSE TO NORMAL, NO SIGNIFICANT CHANGE.
B. SUCEAVA:
SOIL ABOVE WARNING LEVELS (20,000 PICO CURIES
PER SQUARE METER)
-- SOIL CLOSE TO WARNING LEVEL (10,000 PICO
CURIES)
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: ENGR, TRGY, PREL, AMED, RO
SUBJECT: ROMANIA REQUESTS SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE ON
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D. TULCEA (DANUBE DELTA):
INCREASE IN ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION, 600 PICO
CURIES PER CUBIC METER.
7. AFTER FORMING THE COMMITTEE, THEY OBTAINED THE
FOLLOWING HIGHER LEVELS OF RADIOACTIVITY AT 1:00 P.M.
MAY 1:
A. IASI:
SOIL: OVER 200.000 PICO CURIES
AIR: FOR FIRST TIME, SMALL READING AT A80UT
WARNING LEVEL
(ABOUT 1000 PICO CURIES PER CUBIC METER)
B. SUCEAVA: LEVELS SAME AS EARLIER
C. TULCEA: AIR RADIOACTIVITY REACHED 3000 PICO CURIES
AIR RADIOACTIVITY REACHED ABOUT 2000 PICO
CURIES.
E. THERE WAS ALSO A SMALL INCREASE IN RADIOACTIVITY IN
SEVERAL OTHER PLACES IN ROMANIA, INCLUDING BUCHAREST,
BUT NUT A CAUSE FOR CONCERN.
8. ASKED WHY THERE MIGHT BE SUCH A SUDDEN INCREASE IN
RADIATION, AFTER NORMAL READINGS, URSU SAID HE HAD NO
OFFICIAL CONCLUSION. HOWEVER, IT LOOKED TO HIM AS IF
ROMANIA HAD BEEN LUCKY AT FIRST, WITH THE WIND HEADED
TOWARD POLAND; BUT UNFORTUNATELY THE WIND SHIFTED.
HE ATTRIBUTED THE SUDDEN CHANGE IN SOIL RADIOACTIVITY
TO AN ACCOMPANYING LIGHT RAIN ---"NOT MUCH RAIN, BUT
ENOUGH."
9. REQUEST FOR ASSISTANCE. URSU AND IVASCU SAID
ROMANIAN SCIENTISTS WANTED INFORMATION FROM U.S.
SCIENTISTS UN PREVENTION AND TREATMENT OF HARM FROM
THE VARIOUS ISOTOPES. THEY WERE Ai~ARE OF RADIOACTIVE
IODINE AND THE THREAT TO THE THYROID; THEY ERE LESS
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ACQUAINTED WITH CESIUM AND STRONTILM. WHAT WERE THE
ANTIDOTES? WERE THERE NOT ANTIDOTES MORE SOPHISTICATED
THAN POTASSIUM IODIDE (WITH WHICH THEY WERE FAMILIAR)?
WHAT TREATMENT WAS THERE FOR ANIMALS? WERE THERE OTHER
ISOTOPES? SO FAR, ROMANIA HAD NEVER HAD ANY CASES OF
RADIATION POISONING, AND URSU REALIZED THAT THE U.S.
HAD A GREAT BODY OF EXPERIENCE. THEY THEREFORE
REQUESTED WHATEVER WRITTEN MATERIALS OR INSTRUMENTS
WOULD BE APPROPRIATE. THEY WOULD WELCOME A VISIT BY
SPECIALISTS. THEY WANT KNOWLEDGE, NOT BROAD ADVICE.
URSU THEN ADDED, ALMOST AS AN AFTERTHOUGHT, THAT
ROMANIA HAD NO INFORMATION WHATSOEVER ABOUT THE REACTOR
INCIDENT ITSELF, OTHER THAN THAT AVAILABLE THROUGH
THE PRESS, AND SAID HE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY INFORMATION
THE U.S. COULD PROVIDE, ON A CONFIDENTIAL BASIS.
10. COMMENT: APPARENTLY GOR HAS NOT BEEN BRIEFED AT
ALL BY THE SOVIETS, AND IT IS DOUBTFUL THAT THE USSR
WILL BE IN A POSITION TO SPARE EXPERTS. WE HAVE A
UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE A HUMANITARIAN AND SCIENTI-
FIC CONTRIBUTION THAT WILL BE APPRECIATED AT THE
HIGHEST POLITICAL LEVELS HERE. THE INFORMATION MAY
ALSO BE OF VALUE TO US. WHILE WE SHOULD RESPECT THE
GOR REQUEST FOR CONFIDENTIALITY -- OBVIOUSLY INTENDED
TO AVOID PANIC, AS WELL AS OFFENSE TO THE SOVIETS WE CAN EXPECT EVENTUALLY TO HAVE A STRONGLY POSITIVE
IMPACT ON THE ATTITUDES OF ORDINARY ROMANIANS AS
WELL, ONCE THEY LEARN THE U.S. PROVIDED PROMPT HELP.
11. IT WOULD ALSO BE USEFUL FOR USG TO GAUGE HON
BADLY FOOD SUPPLIES WILL BE CONTAMINATED HERE. IF
C 0 N F I D F N T I A L SECTION 03 CF 03 BUCHAREST 03143
E.O. 12356: DECL: OADR
TAGS: ENGR, TRGY, PREL, AMED, RO
SUBJECT: RUMANIA REQUESTS SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE ON
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?5e5seewwees_a w?e?se ws seww as a s w.~ www~.~esoas w wwww? a 5 ~.ewseesoaw? 0?w a flea.
THIS TURNS OUT TO BE SERIOUS, WE MAY ALSO WANT TO
CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING A MAJOR POLITICAL
DEMONSTRATION BY PROVIDING RELIEF ASSISTANCE, AS WE
DID FOLLOWING FLOODS AND THE EARTHQUAKE IN THE 1970S.
END COMMENT.
12. ACTION REQUESTED: PLEASE PROVIDE AN IMMEDIATE
ANSWER TO THE REQUEST FOR SCIENTIFIC ASSISTANCE.
PLEASE ALSO ADVISE WHAT DATA WE CAN SHARE WITH GOR
ON THE CHERNOBYL INCIDENT ITSELF. KIRK
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