Mystery of Australian nuclear scientist's 'bizarre' disappearance

[IndianaGreen]

Mystery of Australian nuclear scientist's 'bizarre' disappearance

THOMAS HUNTER
March 1, 2010 - 2:25PM

‘‘No hat. No boots. No gloves. Nothing.’’

Canadian police are mystified by the disappearance of an Australian nuclear scientist from a remote research facility in the country’s south-east.

Melbourne man Lachlan Cranswick, 41, went missing from Deep River, Ontario, 190 kilometres north-west of Canada’s capital, Ottawa, about five weeks ago.

Investigators admit they have no idea what happened to him or where he is.

‘‘Every bit of information that we have received has been followed up on. We’re at the stage now where we have no new information, we have no leads, no tips and no explanations whatsoever,’’ lead investigator Darin Faris, of the Deep River Police Service, said.

Mr Cranswick moved to Deep River, a town of 4200 people, to start work at the facility seven years ago.

The reactor, which was used in the Manhattan Project during World War II and is home to about 2700 employees, is both a research site and production centre for medical radioisotopes.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/mystery-of-australian-nuclear-scientists-bizarre-disappearance-20100301-pbzv.html?autostart=1

[applegrove]

1. Yup. It is a little disconcerting. Some of the scientists from that same

reactor were involved in the Gowzinco affair in 1946- where Russia got Canadian nuclear secrets and was able to build a bomb. So it is not funny. A disappearance never is but this just has an added chill.

[HeresyLives]

2. The what??

Igor Sergeyevich Gouzenko (January 13, 1919, Rogachevo, Soviet Union – June 28, 1982, Mississauga, Canada) was a cipher clerk for the Soviet Embassy to Canada in Ottawa, Ontario. He defected on September 5, 1945, with 109 documents on Soviet espionage activities in the West. This forced Prime Minister Mackenzie King to call a Royal Commission to investigate espionage in Canada.

Gouzenko's defection exposed Joseph Stalin's efforts to steal nuclear secrets, and the then-unknown technique of planting sleeper agents. The "Gouzenko Affair" is often credited as a triggering event of the Cold War

***

When word got out in the media (February, 1946) that Soviets operated a spy network in Canada in which Canadians gave classified information to the Soviet government it created a great stir.<2> Much of the information taken was of public knowledge and the Canadian government was less concerned with the information stolen but more of the potential of real secrets coming into the hands of future enemies. Canada played an important part in the early research with nuclear bomb technology and that kind of vital information could be dangerous in the hands of other nations. <3>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_Gouzenko

There are no scientists left that were around at that time anyway. The Russians and the Chinese and all, have nukes already you know.

[applegrove]

3. Still it is creepy that a nuclear scientist is missing. Yes I guess it was 1945.

Thanks for posting all that.

[winyanstaz]

4. hmmm well thats scary news

[kristopher]

5. Kick