Los Alamos

“They kept telling me to keep my mouth shut.” The first atom bomb, detonated in 1945, marked the start of a new age . . . and the world’s introduction to Los Alamos. But at the renowned nuclear weapons facility nothing’s more dangerous than speaking the truth.Growing up in the shadow of the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), author Chuck Montano was thrilled to land a job there in 1978. Little could he imagine the veiled world he was about to enter, or the disturbing string of events that would change him forever. Los Alamos: A Whistleblower’s Diary is a shocking account of foul play, theft and abuse at our nation’s premier nuclear R&D installation, uncovering a retaliatory culture where those who dare to question pay with their careers and, potentially, their lives. This is a story about military-industrial dominance, and distortions of reality. It is a first-of-its-kind exposé, venturing past LANL’s armed guards and security fences to chronicle persistent, often successful efforts to prevent hidden truths from surfacing in the wake of headline-grabbing events . . . as in the mysterious death of the laboratory’s second-in-command, coming on the heels of a derailed fraud investigation, on the eve of related congressional hearings—an unconscionable cover-up rooted in arrogance, omissions and lies. Seventy years after its inception, and despite LANL’s 2 billion per year budget, the secret science colony on “the Hill” remains largely unaccountable to anyone, plus a mystery to most. This book reveals, in terrifying detail, that this is no accident, and is a dire warning . . . a clarion call for citizen-action.   This book presents a comprehensive focus on the corrupting effect money has on politics and justice, the systematic waste in government spending that stems from this, and the detrimental impact it’s having on democracy and lives.  The story is centered on the world's first nuclear weapons facility, based on widely reported events that took place there, and brings to light the enormous financial burden imposed on taxpayers through institutionally enabled fraud, waste and abuse.