Operation Dust Up

[Luis]

Operation Dust Up
Date taken: 1953
Photographer: Yale Joel

[gerrykan]

I wonder what the story is that goes with those pictures?

[Chuck Lutz]

After repeated A-Bomb tests in the New Mexico desert, the Manhattan Project board wanted to assess the level of fallout across America but could not simply ask Americans to collect radioactive material from their own homes so the Dept of Defense sought a solution. Thus the Great American Vacuum Roundup began. From Alaska to Alabama and from California to Canada and all points in between, housewives from all across the country answered the call and emptied their vacuum bags on September 1st and did not dump the contents until September 30th when the US Army, the US Army Reserve, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts set up collection points in towns and cities across this country.

The contents of each of the vacuum bags was sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for analysis to determine the amount of harmful radiation that had fallen in the area where each sample was collected from. The cover for this operation which was determined would have completely freaked out not only housewives but their family if the actual purpose of the collections was known meant that a cover-up was needed for the operation.

The public was informed that a smelting factory at an undisclosed location had been using a new process that had some initial problems and that several thousand tons of gold had been released as a particulate into the atmosphere. While it posed no health risks to anyone, it was determined that the particles would bond with common dust and as such could be collected by a common household vacuum. Those housewives who turned in their vacuum contents were promised 50% of any gold found would be returned to them and no public announcement would be made to protect those who did "strike it rich"....

[Luis]

After repeated A-Bomb tests in the New Mexico desert, the Manhattan Project board wanted to assess the level of fallout across America but could not simply ask Americans to collect radioactive material from their own homes so the Dept of Defense sought a solution. Thus the Great American Vacuum Roundup began. From Alaska to Alabama and from California to Canada and all points in between, housewives from all across the country answered the call and emptied their vacuum bags on September 1st and did not dump the contents until September 30th when the US Army, the US Army Reserve, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts set up collection points in towns and cities across this country.

The contents of each of the vacuum bags was sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for analysis to determine the amount of harmful radiation that had fallen in the area where each sample was collected from. The cover for this operation which was determined would have completely freaked out not only housewives but their family if the actual purpose of the collections was known meant that a cover-up was needed for the operation.

The public was informed that a smelting factory at an undisclosed location had been using a new process that had some initial problems and that several thousand tons of gold had been released as a particulate into the atmosphere. While it posed no health risks to anyone, it was determined that the particles would bond with common dust and as such could be collected by a common household vacuum. Those housewives who turned in their vacuum contents were promised 50% of any gold found would be returned to them and no public announcement would be made to protect those who did "strike it rich"....

Very interesting history Chuck!

Thanks!

[wjohn]

Amazing story, now we know that some of the Conspiracy theorists have some true stories to fall back on.

Imagine if that was done today, the outcry!!!

[gerrykan]

Imagine if that was done today, the outcry!!!

And lawsuits!

Thanks for finding that Chuck.

[mb4ever]

.
What a wonderful scam.

Thanks for the pictures Luis.

Thanks for the information Chuck.

[Buggy Man]

I'm still waiting for my gold............
Matt

[Luis]

[tamnalan]

Folks could have called that op the "Hoover D@mn", once they learned what the dust really was...

[Ben Dover]

Good honest photos of M-38A1 Jeeps without cosmetic mods.
And note the original M-38A1 factory U.S.A. registration location above the hood cut out.
These M-38A1's would be in their 2430 S.G. O.D. factory finish. They also have the O.D. Vinylite Seat Cushion covers.
U.S.A. 20959664 would be a JULY 1952 dated M-38A1.

[YLG80]

After repeated A-Bomb tests in the New Mexico desert, the Manhattan Project board wanted to assess the level of fallout across America but could not simply ask Americans to collect radioactive material from their own homes so the Dept of Defense sought a solution. Thus the Great American Vacuum Roundup began. From Alaska to Alabama and from California to Canada and all points in between, housewives from all across the country answered the call and emptied their vacuum bags on September 1st and did not dump the contents until September 30th when the US Army, the US Army Reserve, the Boy Scouts and the Girl Scouts set up collection points in towns and cities across this country.

The contents of each of the vacuum bags was sent to Oak Ridge, Tennessee for analysis to determine the amount of harmful radiation that had fallen in the area where each sample was collected from. The cover for this operation which was determined would have completely freaked out not only housewives but their family if the actual purpose of the collections was known meant that a cover-up was needed for the operation.

The public was informed that a smelting factory at an undisclosed location had been using a new process that had some initial problems and that several thousand tons of gold had been released as a particulate into the atmosphere. While it posed no health risks to anyone, it was determined that the particles would bond with common dust and as such could be collected by a common household vacuum. Those housewives who turned in their vacuum contents were promised 50% of any gold found would be returned to them and no public announcement would be made to protect those who did "strike it rich"....

Ah ah ah, this is one of the most hilarious stories I've ever heard in my life !
But since the Saddam massive destruction weapons hoax, we never know.
That X factor could have indeed been related to radiations in 1953.
Because the army with the nice M38 jeeps was working in that project, it could be related to one of the many unethical projects performed in the past (hopefully) in the US. see here :https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unethical ... ted_States

Not sure, but it could also be a fabulous marketing event organized by the vacuum manufacturer together with Life !

Here are the news paper archives from September 19th and 21th, 1953. (From the Lowell Sun, Newcastle News,

It all happened in a little town named Littleton (Massachusetts) as written on the truck shown on one photo.
In reality it was Operation PayDust.
Peter Bent has been truly working in the Brigham hospital in 1953

Operation_PayDust-1.jpg (124.11 KiB) Viewed 612 times

Operation_Pay_Dust_2.jpg (83.42 KiB) Viewed 612 times

Operation_PayDust_3.jpg (58.74 KiB) Viewed 612 times

Chuck story was re- posted on a Spanish/ South American forum. http://foro.aacvm.com.ar/viewtopic.php? ... 39&start=0

OCR Text of the story :

(Reprinted from The Lowell September 9lh)
"X" Factor Search in Littleton
Seek Find Potential Threat of Dust
LITTLETON, Sept. 9 (INS)
--An army of housewives, doctors, chemists and industrialists today launched "Operation Paydust" in the village of Littleton.
The living rooms of every house were vacuumed lo help medical science discover the potential danger of dust.
Under the direction of the allergy department of Boston's Peter Bent Brigham hospital, hags of dust were collected to undergo spectrochemical
analysis.
Scientists hoped to track down the unknown "X" factor contained in household dust.
This factor is believed to be related to respiratory and infectious diseases.
Doctors in Littleton prepared detailed medical histories of each family participating In the dust collection In order to correlate the individual dust findings to the health record of each person.
More than 100 vacuum machines, equipped with micro-dust filters to capture the most minute dust particles, were provided by a Brooklyn, N. Y., manufacturer.
Littleton was chosen for the dust research project because it is a typical small town community with working factories and established local customs, and also because it Is geographically close to the great medical research center of Boston.

THE SAME MODEL LEWYT VACUUM CLEANER CHOSEN FOR THIS VALUABLE RESEARCH PROJECT BECAUSE OF THE LEWYT'S ABILITY TO PICK UP EVEN EMBEDDED DIRT OR DUST IS AVAILABLE TO YOU NOW AT GAUMONT BROS.
FOR FASTER, BETTER VACUUM DO IT WITH A LEWYT!
LIMITED TIME OFFER! REGULARLY $89.95, $20.00 FOR YOUR OLD CLEANER.

Alex Lewyt was really a technology fool !
Alex Lewyt, president of Lewyt vacuum company in 1955 stated, “Nuclear-powered vacuum cleaners will probably be a reality within 10 years.”

I guess that would be useful with glow in the dark dust .

[RedArrow2016]

Learned a lot from reading this post and I never knew that this was a real thing and thanks for posting this...

[W. Winget]

So where's the mention of "Gold" in the news stories?
A conspiracy within a conspiracy? Somewhere the results are out there, and either they were too traumatic to reveal, or they just found dust...
Oh well.
W. Winget

[Ben Dover]

NOTE THE Early 1952 M-38A1 USA Registration and the USA font.and M-38A1 USA Registration location. The Army did away with U.S.A. starting 1956.
I kind of prefer U.S.A. to the U.S. Army.
Oh, and note the vinyl covered seats. :wink
This M-38A1 is under a year old at the time of the photo.