Soviet Nuclear Reactor Burns

WASHINGTON--U.S. intelligence sources reported that the Chernobyl nuclear reactor complex in the Soviet Ukraine experienced a meltdown Saturday, was still billowing smoke yesterday and threatened another reactor at the same site.

Meanwhile, arms control administrator Kenneth Adelman told Congress that Soviet claims of only two deaths were "frankly preposterous" and called the incident "the most catastrophic nuclear disaster in history."

Unofficial United Press International reports late yesterday placed the number dead at 2000.

Adelman said temperatures reached as high as 4000 degrees Centigrade (7232 degrees Fahrenheit) at the graphite-cooled reactor. He said the graphite is burning and will continue to burn "for a good number of days."

A ranking administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that officials evaluating recent intelligence "don't believe there was a nuclear explosion per se," at Chernobyl. "But there was clearly a meltdown."

As of early yesterday morning "smoke was still billowing from the site. The roof had been blown off, and large portions of the walls [of the reactor building] had caved in," the source said. "And it seemed at the time that [another] nuclear unit just above it might still be in some danger."

The source said the U.S. government wasconvinced there had been a huge release ofradiation, but that the most serious radioactivefallout on the ground occurred within an areastretching about 10 miles out from the plant.

This official also said the intelligenceanalysts were now convinced the accident occurredsometime Saturday.

Reports reaching the State Department saidSoviet authorities were hampered in their effortsto put out the fire because of the intense heat.They were also concerned that dousing the firecould create more radioactivity than simplyletting the reactor burn, according to a sourcewho asked to remain anonymous.

Adelman said those in the greatest risk are the2000 inhabitants of a village built to housenuclear facility workers and their families.

"You have an air danger near Kiev and a waterdanger if the core should burn down to the water[table] line," Adelman said.

"There is concern over water contamination,"Adelman told a Senate committee yesterdayafternoon. "It is on a river. We've got to assumethe water level is relatively high. The burningcore at 4000 degrees is at such an intensetemperature, if it goes into the water you couldhave serious, serious problems withcontamination."

The Soviet reactor was not protected by thetype of steel and concrete containment buildingrequired at American commercial reactors,authorities said.

The American government offered technical andhumanitarian assistance to the Soviet Union at ameeting of assistant secretary of state Rozanne L.Ridgway and Oleg M. Sokolov, charge at the Sovietembassy. There was no apparent immediate responseto the American offer.

In Guam, preparing to accompany PresidentReagan to Bali, presidential chief of staff DonaldT. Regan '40 said the United States "could behelpful and would be if asked. We have a lot ofexperience in how we can handle these things, bothmedically and scientifically."

CBS News reported last night that the Sovietshave asked Sweden and West Germany for assistance.

A source who had assessed intelligence reportssaid of the Soviet reactor site: "These aredefinitely power plants and not production centersfor nuclear warheads. But these are huge plantsthat provide a major link in their electricalgrid. There are four of them in a line at thiscomplex, and none of them are operating now."

At the Pentagon, spokesman Robert Sims said theUnited States had not learned of the accident inadvance of Monday's announcement by the Sovietpress agency Tass.

The State Department has urged Americantravelers to stay away from Kiev, 60 miles southof the accident site.

At the same time, more than 100 House memberssponsored a resolution condemning the SovietUnion's "failure to provide the world withnotification and information about the nuclearaccident.