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nm«i, Mon., »#pt. 22, I9tf0Flatbed truck believed carrying warhead leaves Damascus.Veil Of Secrecy Lifted—SlightlyDAMASCUS. Ark. lt;AF -i The *ir Force is lifting its veil ofsecrecy - at least a little I from :h» site of the Titan II missile explosion that apparent-l tossed a nuclear warhead into an Arkansas pasture Meanwhile. Secretary of De tense Harold Brown said Sunday that he had ordered an Air Force investigation of the nation s 18 Titan II missile installations with an eye toward safety i mprovernents Gov Bill Clin' *as touring the missile silo site toda the first official other than military” • Wpersonnel allowed in the area Tbf Air Force said the newsmedia also would be permitted a tourAir Force crews worked in secrecy Sunday to remove debris from the farmland where pieces of the Titan II missile scattered after an explosion in its silo early Friday, killing one person, and the Defense Department again declined to say whether a nuclear warhead was involvedThe blast catapulted the warhead out of the underground silo, according to tapes of military radio transmissions monitored by the Arkansas Gazette The New York Time^ oday quoted military sources as confirming that an unarmed nuclear warhead was aboard the missileBrown announced the safety investigation amid expression of concern from members of Congress and sources close to the Strategic Air Commandabout the Titan II system's safety and usefulnessBrown said on CBS TV's ‘ Face the Nation program that warheads are designed to ensure against accidental detonation. but add«-lt;i“I’ve instructed the Air Force, after talking with the president, to make a careful look at the safety in all the other installations. and examine what can be done to further minimize chances of accidents, and to examine the Titan force and its safety in general.”An unidentified government source told The New York Times the warhead involved in the accident was an older, larger model and the smaller new models might not have comethrough the explosion as wellAmid tight security, heavy trucks a helicopter and a crane Sunday entered the compound where the warhead was believed to have been hurled. Vehicles were searched before they were permitted to enter, and military guards totmg M-16 rifles blocked the mam entrance to the compound. State police cars blocked secondary entrancesA flatbed truck left the com plexat8 35pm hauling a Moot long, 4-foot high corrugated metal box There was no Infor mation about its contents, butCable Network News quoted a iington sources as saying the warhead was still on the site and probably would not bemoved until todayMM
Newspaper Details
Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
Fayetteville, Arkansas, US
Mon, Sep 22, 1980
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Arkansas S.
AR, USA 14 Feb 2020
Other Publications Near Fayetteville, Arkansas
Fayetteville Democrat
Fayetteville Daily
Fayetteville Northwest Arkansas Times
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