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the early 1990s about Semipalatinsk under which Moscow was supposed to supply information
about the test site, and the Kazakhs agreed to keep some aspects of the site secret. But the Kazakhs
repeatedly complained to Hecker that Russia refused to share details of what had gone on
in those desolate corners of the steppe. The Kazakhs, including Kadyrzhanov, chafed at Russia’s
secrecy. They wanted no part of it, despite the bilateral agreement, which they hoped to change. 39
Hecker wrote down what he saw at Kurchatov City. “Mostly deserted buildings … most of them
had the windows knocked out—a kind of eerie scene out of a ghost-town movie. This was especially
true when I jogged in town early in the morning. The streets were deserted, not a soul. All
I saw was a herd of horses running loose through the outskirts of town and an enormous number
of ravens…” 40
The trip to Kazakhstan had been a turning point for Hecker.
‘You Left Some Stuff There.’
A few months later, in July, 1998, Hecker headed for Moscow. It was a turbulent time in Russia.
Within a month, the country’s fragile economy would collapse with a default and devaluation.
From Moscow, Hecker took the overnight train to Sarov, the location of Arzamas-16. Hecker had
developed personal relationships with his counterparts at the laboratory. Although Arzamas-16
was once among the most top-secret facilities in the Soviet Union, and was still isolated and considered
sensitive, Hecker was known and respected by the scientists, and his arrival was warmly
welcomed.
He carried an urgent request in his briefcase. He went to see Radi Ilkaev, the director, whom
he had known from earlier projects. Hecker recalled that they met one evening at the House of
Scientists, an informal setting where they could talk. Hecker brought up the subject of Semipalatinsk
and the legacy of testing there, particularly the process of hydronuclear testing. Hecker
mentioned that Los Alamos performed hydronuclear tests in bore holes at Los Alamos in 1960
and 1961, and left the plutonium in the bore holes, while making sure the areas remained protected.
He added, “You guys must have done something like that at Semipalatinsk. And if you did,
you left some stuff there.”
As Hecker recalled it, Ilkaev responded cautiously, choosing his words. He said Russia was finished
at Semipalatinsk, forever, and never wanted to go back. Hecker recalled that when he asked
why, Ilkayev responded by saying the overriding issue at Semipalatinsk was the environment and
the Russians feared the Kazakhs would insist they clean up all the residue, which would be expensive.
Hecker pulled out the photos he had taken months earlier at Semipalatinsk. He showed
Ilkayev the photograph of the trenches left by the huge earth-cutting machines. “Radi, that’s your
test site. Those are the copper cable thieves,” he recalled saying to Ilkaev. “Radi was just silent.
He just looked at me, and looked at the photos. And he said, ‘I’ll have someone to talk to you in
the morning.’” 41
39
Hecker wrote in his notes of the Kazakhs, “They have no desire to keep anything secret.”
40
Hecker, trip report.
41
Interview with Hecker, November 29, 2012, Stanford University.
14
Plutonium Mountain: Inside the 17-year mission to secure a dangerous legacy of Soviet nuclear testing