University physicist says Frist site once was home to nuclear weapons research

A report issued by the U.S. Department of Energy on Friday indicates Princeton's Palmer Physics Laboratory — now the site of Frist Campus Center — was slated for DOE cleanup after possible involvement in nuclear weapons research for the U.S. government. The report prompted conflicting reactions from University administrators and faculty.

Princeton's name appears twice on a DOE report that lists sites where nuclear research was conducted and toxic or radioactive materials were used in conjunction with nuclear weapons research. The report specifically cites the Palmer Physics Laboratory and that lab's particle accelerator.

University spokeswoman Marilyn Marks said last week that she and other University officials do not know why Princeton has been included in the report. "The list is so general, we can't pinpoint anything," she said.

Physics department chair Curtis Callan said Friday that the University had a cyclotron used in nuclear physics research but, to his knowledge, the University never had any connection with nuclear weapons development.

"It seems highly implausible to me," he said.

But professor John Wheeler — who has worked in the physics department for more than 60 years — said in an interview at his home yesterday that he and other physics researchers had used Palmer for nuclear weapons research in the 1930s and '40s.

He added that he developed components for the hydrogen bomb on campus at the Forrestal Research Center.

Vice President and Secretary Thomas Wright '62 said yesterday that he did not know whether any weapons research had been conducted at the University during the 1930s and '40s, but a policy change in 1970 forbade any government-related classified research.

"But it was my understanding that during World War II every university in America was deeply involved in the war effort in whatever way possible, maybe even in classified information," Wright said.

The list released by the DOE identifies more than 30 universities, including every Ivy League institution except Dartmouth.

Several Ivies listed are classified as having been licensed to have hazardous materials by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Harvard, Yale and Princeton all are listed as having particle accelerators.

The three universities also were named among 46 sites placed in a DOE program for cleanup. Of those 46, the DOE has completed cleanup of 25 sites, according to the DOE report.

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DOE spokesman Scott Minus was unable to say whether Princeton was one of the 25 sites cleaned.

Wheeler said he recalls a large-scale attempt to clean up Palmer because of the levels of radioactivity and toxic materials, but cannot remember when the cleanup occurred.

Paul Breitman, director of the Frist Campus Center, said he believes all radioactive materials have either been removed or are no longer dangerous.

"I have confidence the building is safe," he said. "Whatever the cleanup was, it was done safely. We would not have opened a center that was not completely safe."

The room where the particle accelerator — the device specifically cited in the DOE report — was located now houses the construction office and has reinforced walls that are five feet thick. The particle accelerator was moved to Jadwin Hall during Palmer's renovations.

In 1997, the Army assumed authority over projects to clean any remaining sites that the DOE had not yet treated.

When contacted, Army officials were unable to give specific information as to why Princeton University was on the DOE list. Maj. Bill Bigalow, an Army spokesman, speculated that Princeton was included on the list because of involvement in the Manhattan Engineering District, more commonly called the Manhattan Project.

But Wheeler specifically said Palmer was the site of nuclear weapons research. He noted Princeton's active participation in the Manhattan Project and his work on the hydrogen bomb.

He also described laboratory research conducted in the attic of Palmer that led to the discovery of a radioactive uranium isotope that is the key component in atomic bombs.