🇨🇦 📃 🛸 Safety Assessment: Regarding Radiation Hazards at Falcon Beach, Manitoba – September 13 1967

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MEMORANDUM

To: A.K. DasGupta

Safety Assessment and Control Section.
Your File No.
Our File No. 1107-4-6
Date: September 13, 1967
From: Mr. S.E. Hunt
Subject: Determination of possible radiation hazards to the general public from
the alleged landing site of an unidentified Flying Object near Falcon.
Lake, Manitoba

Introduction
On the 24 July 67 the Physics Section of this Division monitored,
on behalf of the R.C.M.P. Crime Detection Laboratory, Ottawa, samples of
Boil, burnt shirt and steel tape for possible radioactive contamination.
A gamma ray spectral analysis of the three samples revealed activity levels.
of up to approximately 0.54C1 of Ra or its equivalent. The samples
had been collected from the alleged landing site of a U.F.O. near Falcon
Lake, Manitoba. The information received by this Division on the 24 and
25 July 67 supporting this particular sighting and samples were vague
and disjointed. Further light was shed on the matter when the undersigned
had an opportunity to review the investigation report of the U.F.O.
sighting submitted by S/L P. Bissky, (R.C.A.F.) through the courtesy of
Inspector Hendrick during a visit to the R.C.M.P. Crime Detection Lab-
oratory, Ottawa. Appendix A to this memorandum is a duplicate copy of
S/L Bissky's report.

The task of assessing the radiation hazard to the general public
from the landing site did not initially indicate that it would be nec-
essary for this Division to involve itself in the R.C.M.P. and D.N.D.
investigation. However, it soon became obvious to the undersigned that
collection and co-ordination of all background information was essential
due to the following;

(a) The apparent lack of cooperation by the principals toward
the military and police.

(b)The exact location of the sighting had not been established
at the time of the Division's initial involvement.
The undersigned flew to Winnipeg on the 26 July 1967 where he was
met by Mr. D. Thompson of the Manitoba Health Department. Mr. Thompson
advised the undersigned that a meeting had been arranged between repre-
sentatives of the R.C.M.P. and D.N.D. and the Federal and Provincial
Health representatives. This meeting was to establish what would be
the best way to proceed.




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Field Investigation Report
26 July 1967, 1330 hrs. - R.C.M.P. Headquarters Winnipeg - Met
with the Superintendent Shark, R.C.M.P., S/L Bissky, R.C.A.F., Cpl. Davis,
R.C.M.P., and Messrs. B. Rendall and D. Thompson of the Manitoba Depart-
ment of Health. A briefing of what had happened to date was given by
S/L Bissky. This briefing was a very brief review of the investigation
report compiled by S/L Bissky. A discussion followed the briefing as to
what was the best way to proceed. The following actions were decided
upon.

1. Messrs. Thompson and Hunt to visit Mr. Earl Campbell of the
Manitoba Cancer Clinic to ascertain the exact location of
the Radium burial ground at East Braintree.

2. Messrs. Thompson and Hunt to island gland Cement Company to
find out if the company has any Ra sources.

3. S/L Bissky, Cpl. Davis, Messrs. Thompson and Hunt to visit
Mr. Stephan Michalak at his residence around 1800 hrs.
26 Jul. 67.

26 July 1967, 1430 hrs. - Messrs. Thompson and Hunt met with Mr.E.
Campbell of the Manitoba Cancer Clinic. Mr. Campbell showed photographs
of the site and gave us the name of a Mr. R. Kemp who could guide us to
the site. During his visit we checked, for radioactivity, some samples
of soil and vegetation collected from a Beausejour U.F.O. sighting. The
samples were checked on a scintillation counter. There was no evidence
of any radioactivity.

26 July 1967, 1800 hrs. - S/L Bissky, Cpl. Davis and Messrs.
Thompson and Hunt visit the residence of Mr. S. Michalak located 314 Lind-
say Street. An attempt was made to persuade Michalak to take us to the
site of the U.F.O. landing, how ever, at the end of the visit it still
appeared unlikely that he would go as he felt that he would lose too
much money by missing a days work. Mr. Michalak showed the undersigned
samples of rock, soils and vegetation collected from the U.F.O. site.
These samples were located in his basement. A survey of his basement
showed no evidence of any loose contamination. Radiation fields were
detected coming from the plastic bags containing soil and the remnants
of Michalak's burnt shirt. Michalak was at first unwilling to part with
the samples, but eventually allowed the undersigned to have part of the
samples from each bag for further analysis. Mr. Michalak has no respect
for contaminated materials. He handled the contaminated soil with his
bare hands, and was made to wash his hands with great difficulty. During
our conversation with Michalak he produced a series of photographs taken
by Life Magazine representatives. These included photos of the site and
colour photos of the burns on his abdomen and the scorhed grid pattern
on his undershirt. At the time of this interview, Michalak's wife and
eldest son were present.

27 July 1967, 1000 hrs. - Mssrs Thompson and Hunt visited the
Radium burial site at East Braintree (see Appendix B). We were guided by
Mr. R. Kemp, Conservation Officer for the Renewable Resources Branch,
Department of Mines and Natural Resources for Manitoba. Only one of the
steel spikes used to mark the burial site could be located. However,





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the area was easily recognizable from the photographs shown to us by
Mr. E. Campbell (Manitoba Cancer Clinic). It appeared to us that the
soils had not been disturbed as most of the area was covered with veg-
etation. Another two years will see the area completely overgrown with
vegetation. No radiation checks were made as there was a minimum of
three feet of sand covering the contaminated materials. The maximum
amount of radium located at the burial site is in the area of 12 mgms.

27 July 1967, 1200 hrs. Met S/L Bissky, F/O Smith, Cpls. Shepard
and Reed, all of the R.C.A.F., Cpl. Davis and Constable Zacharias of the
R.C.M.P., and Mr. Michalak at the Falcon Lake Provincial Park entrance.
After lunch, the above mentioned plus Thompson and Hunt set out for the
U.F.O. landing site. This involved crossing to the north side of Hwy.
No. 1 and following the route as indicated on the attached map. The en-
tire expedition took about 45 minutes to reach its destination. The site
was confirmed as being the correct site by Constable Zacharias who had been
taken to it by Mr. B. Thompson of the Winnipeg Airborne Phenomena Research
Organization the night before. The landing area of the U.F.O. was re-
cognizable from the photographs taken by Life Magazine, the origin of
the circular outline of vegetation in the writer's opinion is debatable.
A thorough survey of the landing area was carried out, using a Tracerlab
SU14, Admiral Radiac 5016, and a Civil Defence CDV 700 survey meter. One
small area was found to be contaminated. This was located across the
crown of the rock. There was a smear of contamination about 0.5 x 8.0
inches on one side of the crack. There was also some lichen and ground.
vegetation contaminated just beyond the smear. The whole contaminated
area was no larger than 100 square inches. All water run off areas were
checked for possible contamination, but nothing was found. Samples of
the contaminated rock and lichen were taken for further analysis. Photo-
graphs of the area were taken by Cpls. Shephard and Davis and Mr. Thompson.
Since there was no serious health hazard involved due to the remoteness
of the area and also due to the fact that the majority of the contamination.
was taken for samples, no further precautions were felt necessary it the
U.F.O. site. Prior to returning to Winnipeg, it was decided that Messrs
Hunt and Thompson would try and establish the source of the radioactivity
by paying a visit to Mr. B. Thompson.

1 August 1967, 0900 hrs. - Samples from U.F.O. site and those taken
from Michalaks residence were checked under a U.V. light in the Environ-
mental Sanitation Laboratory in the Norquay Building. The samples taken
from the U.F.0. site gave an indication that they were contaminated with
Radium luminous paint. The samples from Michalak's house did not res-
pond to the U.V. light. The se samples were then packaged and sent to
R.P.D. Ottawa for further analysis.

1 August 1967, 1330 hrs. - A visit was made to Inland Cement
Company where Mr. S. Michalak is employed as an Industrial Mechanic.
The purpose of the visit was two fold. Primarily we wanted to find out
if the Company had used any radium sources, in gauges and secondly to in-
spect the Company's Ohmart gauges using Cs. The latter will be dealt
with in a separate report. Conversation with Mr. R. West revealed that
the Company had never used radium sources wie either in Winnipeg or Regina,
where both he and Michalak had worked prior to moving to Winnipeg.





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2 August, 1967, 1400 hrs. - Visited Mr. B. Thompson at his re-
sidence at Oakdean Gardens, Suite 312, 66 Morrow Avenue. He advised us
that he had no samples in his suite, but had some at his mother's place
at 28 Frederick E, St. Vital. A series of rock and vegetation samples
were checked, but showed no activity, Thompson then produced a soil
sample that he had obtained from the Falcon Lake U.F.O. site.
proved to be radioactive. Levels up to 1 MR/hr were deteched. Thompson
was most reluctant to part with the sample so it was left with him. The
sample was sealed in a plastic bag. A contamination check was made of
the area where the samples were, using the U.V. light. The area was
extremely cluttered with photographic equipment and a great deal of junk.
Several areas responded to the U.V. 1ight, but these did not prove to be
areas of contamination, probably photographic emulsion splashes. Thompson
appears to be a very sloppy worker.

During our conversation with Mr. Thompson it was established that
he worked as a sales representative for a local outdoor advertising firm
(Plaxlab Products Ltd.). His involvement with APRO was a spare time
hobby. He stated that the Winnipeg chapter had approximately fifteen
members, four of whom were investigating members. To be an investigating
member, it is necessary to be 21 years or over. He stated that the re-
mainder of the organization was made up of teenagers. The APRO organi-
zation appears to be a very loose knit organization. Thompson was unable
to tell us the names of the other investigating officers. Prior to leaving
Thompson, he advised us that he had taken some samples to the Nuclear
Medicine Department of the Winnipeg General Hospital. He was unwilling
to tell us who had checked the samples as he said the technician had
carried out a spectral analysis without his superior's authority. He
said that one sample showed a 1.4 mev peak. Two other very weak energy
peaks were also detected. Thompson did not know where the samples were
presently located. These samples had been given to Thompson by Michalak.

3 August, 1967, 1000 hrs. - A visit was paid to Hart Electronics,
1961/2 Osborne Street. This visit was arranged at the request of S/L
Bissky who had received a similar request from Mr. Hart. A contamination.
check on Mr. Hart's car and store showed no evidence of contamination.
Mr. Hart was concerned as he had helped Michalak collect and carry home
some of the samples from the U.F.O. site. Mr. Hart appears to be very
interested in "Intersellar Vehicles". He has apparently seen several
such vehicles. He even shot at one while duck hunting near Beausejour.
Mr. Hart advised us that he was in the process of developing a device
which can be used for detecting "Interstellar Vehicles". He did not
have the circuitry available as he had loaned it to a friend.

3 August, 1967, 11:15 hrs. - Messrs Thompson and Hunt visited the
Nuclear Medicine Department of the Winnipeg General Hospital. Technician,
Mr. George Dyck, was contacted. He stated that he had checked the
samples submitted by Thompson. His superiors knew about the samples
being checked, in fact, they still had the samples as they were going
to do a second analysis on them to try and determine the isotope by its
rate of decay.




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Dr. F. Helmuth was introduced to us by Mr. Dyck. Dr. Helmuth had
examined the burns that Michalak had received and he felt that they were
thermal burns. He said that Michalak had been sent to Pinawa and put in
the W.B.C. Although Dr. Helmuth had not seen the results, he understood
that no ingested activity was found in Michalak. Dr. Petco at Pinawa
had apparently contacted Dr. Helmuth and had suggested that Michalak
receive psychiatric treatment. However, Dr. Helmuth didn't feel that
this was necessary. Dr. R.J. Walton, Executive Director for the Manitoba
Cancer Clinic, was asked by Dr. Helmuth to come over to meet us. Dr.
Walton was pleased to let us have the samples as they weren't particularly
interested in becoming involved in work of this nature. The only reason.
they checked these samples was that they had made the analysis before
they realized what was going on. Thompson was checking the results of
one analysis against the other. The samples will be returned to Ottawa
with the undersigned.

7 August 1967, 0930 hrs. A telephone call was made to the
Manager of Plaxlab Products Limited. He advised the undersigned that
they did not use any radium luminous or luminous paints for their products.

Conclusions

The undersigned does not intend to prove one way or the other
whether a U.F.O. had been sighted as there are still too many unknowns.
Secondly, in the opinion of the writer such ventures are outside the main
interests of this Division.

There are however two conclusions that are of interest to this
Division, they are as follows:

(a) Radioactive contamination of rock and lichens was found
at the alleged U.F.O. landing site. The origin of this
contamination has yet to be determined.

(b) The radiation levels measured were not high enough to
create a radiation hazard to the general public.
(Signed) S.E.H.

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Retrieved From: Library and Archives Canada

Retrieved By: 

Ryan Stacey 

The Experiencer Support Association