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State Officials SetTo Complain OverSecrecy About BlastLITTLE HOCK, Ark (AP) -An apparent lack of cooperation following the explosion at the Titan II missile silo in Damascus, Ark , has led Arkansas officials to complain loud and longSome of the complaints ap parently will make their way to the president.Before the explosion even occurred, local and state officials were expressing frustration with their inability to get information f rom the A ir Force about trouble at the silo.Several local officials complained that they could not find out the severity of the Air Force's reported “possible fire and fuel leak until it was too late.In the meantime, state officials frantically called around the country in an attempt to find out what had happened at the silo and whether there was a nurlear warhead on the missile.After the silo exploded and the evacuation of about 1,400 area residents began, the frustration mounted.“There was a lot of confusion,” said Faulkner County Sheriff Charles Castleberry. “Nobody knew what to do. All 1 was interested in was getting the people out of there and keeping them out until it was safe”Part of the confusion con cerned the distance from the silo that needed to be evacuated. After the explosion, Air Force officials first said a 1-mileradius should be evacuated, then changed that to a five-mile radius The changes led to roblems at the highway arricadesVan Buren County Sheriff Gus Anglin engaged in verbal battle with several Air Force barricade guards Conway County Sheriff Carl Stobaugh said his deputies argued with two barricade guards until one of the guards admitted, they got us out of bed and we don’t know what we're doing.The confusion continued as Air Force officials refused to confirm or deny whether there was a w arhead at the site.The impasse culminated in a set of demands being drawn up Monday by Anglin, Stobaugh, Castleberry, Cleburne County Sheriff Ron Davis and state Senator Stanley Russ. The demands, most of which deal with communication during emergencies, will be sent to President Carter, Russ said.Russ and the sheriffs weren't the only officials who were upset by the breakdowns in communication I feel like they should have had a liaison officer here to let the people know, said Greenbrier Mayor Eddie Garrett, ‘i know they can't give out any secret stuff, any classified material But they could have let us know something ”Sam Tatom. the director of the state Department of Public Safety, said he was able to “learn more from television andthe newspapers” than from the Air Force.Asked if the Air Force had given no cooperation at all, Tatom said, “That would be putting it mildly.Tatom threatened Monday to discontinue the 16-year-old courtesy of providing state police escorts to the Air Force when it wants to move missiles or missile parts.Tatom had been visibly upset on more than one occasion at the Air Force's lack of communication. Monday, he was mad because the state police were given only 35 minutes notice before the warhead apparently was moved Tatom had asked for at least four hours notice.Gov. Bill Clinton also expressed misgivings about the Air Force’s cooperation, saying state and local officials were not given adequate information about the accident.Clinton has said that he will be satisfied if the Air Force will promise better communication in the event of another such disaster But he qualified that by saying the arrangement would have to be satisfactory to the state's congressmeo, who have access to classified information.Tatom and Clinton both indicated there would be more talks with the Air Force about the problemMeanwhile, officials in the area of Arkansas 18 silos continue to complain
Newspaper Details
Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville, Arkansas, US
Wed, Sep 24, 1980
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 14 Feb 2020
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Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
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