Power Over People: The Cost of Nuclear Testing in Carlsbad, New Mexico

by Andres Velez

Site Description

Author Biography

Final Report

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

Image Analysis

Data Analysis

Oral Interviews

Video Story

Site Description:

The topic I intend to focus on is nuclear testing in New Mexico. In terms of specifics, I’ve settled on a city called Carlsbad, predominanlty thanks to its proximity to Project Gnome. Project Gnome was an underground nuclear test which was conducted and encompassed in both Operation Nougat and Project Plowshare. According to the federal government itself, the purpose of these programs was to find practical uses for nuclear explosions outside of warfare. The Project Gnome test occurred on December 10, 1961. This test, issued by the federal government occurred 25 miles away from Carlsbad, and would become one of the many tests blamed by some New Mexican citizens for health issues that would spring up during the second half of the 20th century. Some would accuse the government of using them as sacrificial lambs to forward their own power through the development of nuclear technology: an accusation which still holds weight thanks to the continued handling of nuclear waste in the region. In attemping to find out the truth, tests would be conducted at the site of the explosion, analyzing things such as nearby water sources for evidence of contamination. In addition, many civilian advocacy groups such as Nuke Watch NM would be formed for the purpose of keeping people aware of the problems New Mexico was facing in regard to nuclear technology. On the other hand, the government would continue to assert the purpose of the test as being in service of finding a peaceful, productive means to utilize nuclear weaponry. In terms of the historical question I would like to answer, I would summarize it as this: How successfully did the federal government mitigate the suffering of the residents of Carlsbad, and how satisfactory did said residents find those efforts? As far as overall significance is concerned, I believe this project is important thanks to the added political element within it. There are few environmental issues as closely connected with global politics as nuclear testing, so seeing how this weighty topic may lead the government to treat its own citizens in a different way than normal could provide a unique perspective. In addition, nuclear testing is something that was conducted fairly frequently after World War II. Operation Nougat alone involved 44 detonations, and that was far from the only nuclear project conducted in that time frame. That being said, there are many cities which may have suffered the inadvertent consequences of nuclear testing while slipping through the cracks of media coverage, inhibiting their ability to be granted respite from whatever suffering they experienced. Some of them may still be dealing with the effects even now. Hopefully my project, by shedding light on what happened in Carlsbad, will lead to people taking a look at some of the other cities in the vicinity of these tests and give their issues a bit more spotlight.

Author Biography:

My name is Andres Velez, and I’m a senior student at NJIT. I don’t have any particular personal connection to this topic. In spite of that, I do find a great deal of enjoyment in exploring historical topics, so I knew I wanted to focus on an event which occurred during a historically significant period. I figured that nuclear testing in the Cold War would fit the bill, so I started looking for topics related to that. In terms of why I chose Carlsbad, New Mexico, I don’t have any particular reason. I just wanted to pick a lesser known location, so I went with one that wasn’t instantly recognizable, but would still provide me with enough material to work with.

Final Report:

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Primary Sources:

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Secondary Sources:

Image Analysis:

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Data Analysis:

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Oral Interviews:

Matthew Trochim · Interview