Letter to Los Alamos National Laboratory from the Los Alamos Study Group

June 10, 2004, by fax and email

Mr. Bill Sprouse
Security Support (S-5)
Los Alamos National Laboratory
[Contact information deleted]

Re: Citizen tour of Los Alamos facilities (external only), Saturday, August 7

Dear Bill –

Thank you for meeting with Mr. Toland, Darwin BondGraham of our office, and myself on Tuesday of this week regarding our proposal to conduct two kinds of citizen inspection of Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in early August of this year.

As of this writing, I am in expectation of a letter from you attaching formal guidelines for demonstrations, etc. along with a list of sensitive countries of origin for site visitors. We wish to visit the laboratory Wednesday, August 4 to tour particular facilities and hear associated briefings, provided this is possible, and again on Saturday, August 7, for an external (to lab facilities) tour.

This letter pertains to the Saturday, August 7 external tour only; the August 4 event will be the subject of a second letter to follow later today. This external tour would not be a demonstration. It would be similar in overall structure to the citizens’ tour the Los Alamos Study Group organized in early 2002. On that occasion, some 27 vehicles with 81 occupants visited 6 sites at LANL, where we had short lectures and discussions, typically in parking lots or by the road side. That event could have been improved by the use of buses, and we wish to do this on August 7. It will be simpler and safer.

We anticipate that up to 200 people could be involved as an upper limit – that is, up to 4 buses. We would bring no other vehicles. On that earlier trip, our discussion stops included: 1) TA-54, Area G, parking on the shoulder of Pajarito Road, beneath and south of the site; 2) TA-18, parking on a dirt pull-off area just north of the site, near Pajarito Road; 3) TA-55 and TA-35, parking on the east shoulder of the entrance road; 4) TA-3, CMR Building, in the parking lot; 5) TA-3, a parking lot near the Supercomputing Complex, then under construction; and finally 6) TA-53, LANSCE facility, parking on the Truck Route south of the site. We would like to visit these same sites again. We understand that Pajarito Road is normally closed to non-laboratory personnel and vehicles. We are asking for a variance from this policy on this occasion. If you required it, we would be happy to accommodate up to two LANL individuals (on each of) the bus(es) and to allow reasonable time for inspection of the buses prior to the tour, as necessary.

We would obey all LANL traffic and other directives while on the site as well as follow whatever other restrictions and conditions you may outline. The Los Alamos Study Group and I personally will be responsible for the conduct of guests on this tour. We will be able to supply you with a visitor list if you require it, including citizenship of the participants. We anticipate this tour commencing at 9:00 am in White Rock and concluding no later than 2:00 pm at the conclusion of the last stop, after which we would reconvene in the town of Los Alamos for a final briefing with LANL program and managerial personnel, which I will try to arrange through Mr. Toland’s good offices.

Please let us know as soon as possible if this overall outline is acceptable to LANL. We appreciate your help and that of others with whom you will be conferring.

Sincerely,
Greg Mello, Executive Director