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CONCERN, AND THAT EVENING TASS PEPOPTED THAT QUOTE THE FADIATION SITUATION ... HAS NOW BEEN STABILISED
THE NUCLEAR POWER
STATION'S SETTLEMENT AND THE NEARLY POPULATED LOCALITIES HAVE
BEEN EVACUATED UNQUOTE. AT THE SAME TIME AS THIS TASS PEPORT,
OUR AMBASSADOR IN MOSCOW ASKED THE SOVIET AUTHORITIES AS SOON AS
POSSIBLE TO PROVIDE THE FULLEST POSSIBLE INFORMATION. HE
DELIVERED A LIST OF DETAILED QUESTIONS, THE ANSWERS TO WHICH WERE IMPORTANT FOR ASSESSING THE SITUATION. NO FESPONSE HAS YET BEEN
PECEIVED. LATE ON THE EVENING OF 30 APRIL SIP B CAFTLEDGE WAS SUMMONED TO THE SOVIET MFA WHERE FIRST DEPUTY FOREIGN MINISTER KOVALEV, FLANKED BY TWO SENIOR SCIENTIFIC OFFICIALS, ASSURED HIM, ON THE DIRECT INSTRUCTIONS OF THE SOVIET LEADERSHIP, THAT LIFE IN KIEV AND ITS SUPPOUNDING DISTRICTS WAS NORMAL, WITH FACTORIES AND
FARMS FUNCTIONING AS USUAL.
BACKGROUND FOR USE WITH TRUSTED CONTACTS
IT
8. THE EVIDENCE OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED, AND IS STILL OCCUPPING, IS STILL VERY INCOMPLETE. WE ARE NOT YET CEPTAIN WHETHER THE FIRE IN ONE PEACTOR IS UNDER CONTROL OF OF THE EXACT
NATURE OF THE DAMAGE SUSTAINED BY A SECOND PEACTOR. WE ESTIMATE
THAT IN ANY CASE PADIOACTIVE MATERIAL CONTINUES TO BE EMITTED, BUT AT A LOWER LEVEL, THAN WHEN THE ACCIDENT FIRST OCCURRED.
IS NOT YET POSSIBLE TO ESTIMATE WHEN THE SITUATION WILL BE
COMPLETELY UNDER CONTROL. THE EARLY HIGHLY PADIOACTIVE EMISSIONS
WERE DIRECTED BY THE PREVAILING WINDS MAINLY IN A NORTH-EASTERLY DIRECTION, TOWARDS THE NORTHERN UKRAINE, NORTHERN POLAND AND SCANDINAVIA. WITH SUBSEQUENT WIND CHANGES CONSIDERABLY LESS
RADIOACTIVE CLOUDS HAVE SPREAD MORE WIDELY TO OTHER PARTS OF
EUROPE. THERE HAS NOW BEEN A VERY SLIGHT (AND MEDICALLY INSIGNIFICANT) INCREASE IN RADIOACTIVITY LEVELS REGISTERED IN
SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND.
9. THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF THE ACCIDENT ARE HARD TO ASSESS.
YET WE HAVE NO EVIDENCE TO SUBSTANTIATE THE WILDER PRESS CLAIMS
ON THE NUMBER OF CASUALTIES IN THE SOVIET UNION.
UK STATEMENTS
10. THE TEXT OF MY STATEMENT IN VIENNA ON 29 APRIL (DURING THE WEU MEETING) AND MR EGGAR'S STATEMENT IN THE HOUSE ON 30 APRIL
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