I tried to find out what Oppenheimer’s thoughts were while it was all happening. He had this to say in 1945:
“But when you come right down to it the reason that we did this job is because it was an organic necessity. If you are a scientist you cannot stop such a thing. If you are a scientist you believe that it is good to find out how the world works; that it is good to find out what the realities are; that it is good to turn over to mankind at large the greatest possible power to control the world and to deal with it according to its lights and its values.”
FILE NO. 188
PRELIMINARY REPORT—DISAPPEARANCE OF FLIGHT ICELANDAIR 670
FAA Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention Flight Icelandair 670 (FI670), scheduled for a nonstop flight from Denver International Airport (DEN) to Keflavik, Reykjavik (KEF), disappeared from Air Traffic Control instruments at approximately 10:31 on the morning of August 10. The Boeing 757-200 called ready for taxi from Gate A-43 of Denver International Airport at 10:16. Following instructions from Denver Ground, the plane taxied to Runway 17L through taxiways M and ED, holding short of the runway before contacting the tower. Flight 670 was cleared for takeoff immediately after assuming position on the runway. The entire communication between the tower and FI670 is reproduced below. Prior communication with ATC shows nothing out of the ordinary.
FI670: Tower, this is ICEAIR 670 holding on Echo Delta for Runway 17 Left.
ATC: Good morning ICEAIR 670. She’s all yours, into position on Runway 17 Left.
FI670: Roger that.
In position, 670.
ATC: ICEAIR 670, you are clear to takeoff, Runway 17 Left, contact departure 1-2-6-1 in the air.
670, you’re clear to go…
ICEAIR 670, I lost you on my screen. Can you read back?
FI670: Where the hell is that light coming from?
ATC: Can you repeat that 670?
ICEAIR 670, this is the tower, please respond.
670, please respond…
Investigators were on-site around 12:15 P.M. and FAA personnel were denied access to the site. However, the abundant news footage of the incident showed that only the southernmost section (estimate: two hundred feet) of Runway 17L/35R remained intact. A large crater, approximately fifteen hundred feet across, three hundred feet deep, covered the remaining part of the runway and the surrounding taxiways. The examined footage shows no sign of wreckage, no debris of any kind.
The complete absence of evidence, coupled with the extraordinary nature of the circumstances, strongly suggests that neither mechanical failure nor pilot error are responsible for the disappearance of flight 670 and that the aircraft could not be responsible for the destruction of Runway 17L/35R. The circumstances of the incident, while currently unexplained, clearly fall beyond the expertise of the FAA and no further investigation is warranted at this point.
FILE NO. 189
INTERVIEW WITH VINCENT COUTURE, SENIOR INTELLIGENCE ADVISOR (DCIPS) Location: Fort Carson Army Base, near Colorado Springs, CO
—I don’t wanna start at the beginning. Can we just stop? I…I don’t wanna talk…I just need a few minutes to think. Where’s Rose? I didn’t see her. Where’s Kara? I wanna see Kara.
—Take a deep breath. You need to relax. I only want to help you remember.
—Remember what? Where’s…
—No. Do not try to get up.
—Where are my boots?
—Let us start with something simple. Tell me the first thing you did this morning.
—Someone took my boots. What’s this? Is it a hospital gown? I can’t find any of my clothes.
—Please, get back into bed. At least sit down on the bed.
—My clothes…
—I will help you find your clothes. Now, sit down and look at me. I want you to focus on me. What is the first thing you did when you woke up this morning?
—This morning…I…I did…I took a shower, and I went to the lab. I got to the lab early.
—Very good. What did you do once you got there?
—When I got where?
—To the lab. You got up early, and you went to the lab.
—Yes.
—What did you do at the lab?
—I practiced walking…I walked a few times around the lab, then I…I tried it with my knees reversed.
—Good. I did not know that you had tried them yet.
—A few times.
—How does it feel?
—How does what feel? I…
—Your knees. How does it feel when you reverse them?
—It hurts like you wouldn’t believe. I tried them last week for the first time. Rose kept telling me to wait, not to rush things. I assumed you had talked to her…I’m not sure if you know how they work, but you have to stick your finger under the kneecap and push real hard. That hurts, just by itself, but the knees are spring-loaded, and they just yank your legs backward real hard. It’s overwhelming. I fell face-first, the first few times. It just…It hurts like hell. It’s like having a truck run over your legs.
—Go on.
—I…
—This morning, you went to the lab early.
—Yes, I did. I got there before anyone else.
—And you tried your knees…
—I wanted to see if I could go around the room. I made it about two-thirds of the way, then I fell down and I couldn’t get up. It’s really hard to get up with the legs in reverse.
—What did you do then?
—After I fell? Nothing, I just lay on my back and waited for someone to come. Rose came in about a half hour later. She brought my wheelchair over and helped me up. She had cinnamon buns. Coffee and cinnamon buns. There’s this little tiny shop about two kilometers from the airport. They make the best pastries.
—What happened after Dr. Franklin helped you get up?
—We sat down and talked politics while waiting for Kara. She showed up around nine. She whined for a good fifteen minutes because we ate all the buns. Rose promised to go get some more, and we made our way up into the sphere.
We tried the shield again, then the sword. I asked Kara if she was up for a quick walk around the room. We radioed Rose. She didn’t think it was a good idea. She told us to practice handling the shield at different sizes. We did for a while, but I could tell Kara also had that walk in the back of her head. I flipped my knees again. I took a minute to get through the sting, then I braced myself in the controls. “Are you sure you’re up for it?” she said. Since I didn’t answer, she got out of her station and helped me get into mine.
It’s cold in here. Where are we? Is this a military base?
—It does not matter right now. Just keep going.
—I wanna see Kara. She was with me. Is she here?
—I will answer all your questions in a minute. I just want you to tell me what happened next. You braced yourself in. You were about to try walking for the first time.
—We did. I had taken off my headset, but I could hear Rose getting worried: “What’s going on up there? What are you guys doing? Talk to me!”
I lifted my left leg. It took us aback for a second. The whole room began to tilt slightly when the sphere adjusted to the movement. I moved my right leg, then the left again. Rose was trying to stay calm: “OK, you did it, now stop and get out of there.” I told Kara we’d go to the end of the room and back. I could feel my legs going numb, but I was too excited to stop. I took a few more steps, then my knees started to give. I’d never had to support more than my own weight with my knees backward, and I had to swing my hips upward and back at every step to keep the balance…
I don’t wanna talk anymore. Can you take me to see Kara?
—I understand. It will only take a minute. You can ask any question you want afterward. It is important that you tell me everything that you remember.
—Kara and I tried walking for the first time. We just wanted to get to the end of the room.
—Yes. Your legs were weakening…