This source is a doctoral dissertation that examines aerosol studies conducted by the U.S. Army in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1953 to 1954 and 1963 to 1965. The dissertation reveals that these studies, led by the "Manhattan-Rochester Coalition," a secret organization formed by Manhattan Project scientists, involved the nonconsensual exposure of civilians to radioactive substances. The research finds that black people and residents of poor neighborhoods in St. Louis were disproportionately targeted in these studies. The dissertation's author, Lisa Martino-Taylor, uses a variety of research methods, including document analysis, Freedom of Information Act requests, and interviews, to reconstruct the history of these secret studies and the ethical and social implications of nonconsensual human research. The dissertation also analyzes the organizational structure of the Manhattan-Rochester Coalition and the factors that contributed to the diffusion of responsibility and the suppression of dissent within this organization. Finally, the dissertation explores the global implications of these studies, highlighting the role played by the Manhattan-Rochester Coalition in the expansion of the American empire and its use of radioactive weapons.
