| Description |
Filmed in 1954, "The Conqueror" earned notoriety as John Wayne's worst film. Twenty-five years later in 1979, the film caused a new sensation when rumors surfaced that Wayne died from cancer because he was exposed to radioactive sand while filming "The Conqueror" in St. George, Utah. According to the allegations, the United States government caused Wayne's death because it conducted atomic bomb tests in Nevada from 1951 to 1963 which spread radioactive fallout throughout southwestern Utah. This paper examines these claims in the context of the debate over the effects of radioactive fallout on American citizens. Beginning with the first continental atomic test in New Mexico in 1945, the paper tracks the history of radiation fallout dangers up to 1953 when Upshot Knothole, the most radioactively "dirty" atomic test series, was conducted in Nevada. Public claims in southern Utah of radiation damage encountered during this series are shown to be related to "The Conqueror" claims that surfaced in 1979 as each stemmed from public misunderstanding of the effects of radiation. Through examination of scientific evidence on radiation effects, the paper concludes that while "The Conqueror" claims have no scientific foundation, they show the powerful interaction of public fears of radiation, government secrecy, and media sensationalism in creating allegations of government culpability for radiation damages among St. George citizens and "Conqueror" participants. The author thanks the American West Center at the University of Utah for providing office space and financial support for this study. |
