Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant CIA Files - Paperless Archives

Secn~1
The official figure on the number of people eventually
evacuated from the Ukraine and Belorussia was
\35.000. but the total number of those who left the
area is probably much higher. In addition. some
400.000 children were evacuated from Kiev. and
another 100.000 from points in Rdorussia to Pioneer
camps and summer resorts ..
Initially. confusion seemed to reign among the officials
on the spot. who seemed totally unprepared to
deal with a catastrophe of such ma2nitude. In a later
effort to explain the delay in the evacuation of
Pripyat" Valeriy Legasov. presidium member of the
USSR Academy of Sciences and the first deputy
director of the prestigious Kurchatov Atomic Energy
Institute, told a US visiting nuclear delegation that it
was an appropriate precaution taken to protect the
,people because the radioactive plume had traveled
over the likely evacuation route. Information released
at the trial of the Chemobyl' plant managers this
July. however. revealed that no effort was made by
plant officials to check the radiation levels in the city
in the immediate aftermath and that the nuclear plant
had no off-site measuring capabilities. Court testimony
also showed that the staff at the plant was ordered
by plant officials to keep quiet about radiation levels
and that they reported to their superiors lower levels
of radiation than actually measured. As noted. the
first comprehensive readings of radiation levels in
Pripyat' were made on the evening of 26 April by the
chemical troops who arrived earlier that day. As a
result.. schools and shops stayed open on 26 Aoril and
residents went about their business as usual
The Soviets responded relatively quickly to dis~atch
medical tearns to surrounding areas to screen the
population. According to the vice president of the
Academy of Medical Sciences. there were 1.300
health care personnel involved. grouped into 230
medical tearns, mostly from the Ukrainian and Belorussian
medical services. with support from military
mobile medical teams. Nevertheless. there were shorta2CS
of medical personnel. mediCllI ~"prlie.< ~n