The Ambushed Grand Jury: How the Justice Department Covered Up Government Nuclear Crime : And How We Caught Them Red Handed

by Wes McKinley

What happens when citizens investigate the government’s cover-up of dangerous nuclear crimes? And catch them red-handed? The Ambushed Grand Jury is the true story of how a cowboy Grand Jury foreman, an FBI whistleblower, and a volunteer lawyer proved the Justice Department’s cover-up of government and corporate contractor crimes at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant near Denver, Colorado.

288 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2004

Reviews

[Dracolibris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone who lives in the Denver metro area should read this book to find out more about how the Rocky Flats area was mismanaged in potential deadly ways and the courageous people who fought for the truth.

[Courtney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I moved out to Denver in 1996 and never thought much about Rocky Flats. When they opened the Wildlife Refuge and discussed hosting school field trips, my curiosity (and instincts) kicked in. My children were not going anywhere near there. I highly recommend Kirsten Iverson's Full Body Burden as a companion to this book. I am so grateful to these folks who risked everything to keep us informed of what is still left behind.

[DLanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned from this book that all is not as it seems within The Department of Energy (Atomic Energy Commission) and its atomic endeavors. I learned that safety practices are ignored, employee safety is last on the list of priority, and cover up in the name of big money bonuses was high on the agenda. I learned that with respect to DOE and the nuclear complex, it's a pretty "small town" - a lot of the same players within the corporations responsible for the contamination and pollution of nuclear sites across the country, whose positions shift from various jobs within polluting corporations to politics and back again. I learned that Santa Susana Field Laboratory wasn't alone; Rocky Flats has had its share of environmental crimes and FBI Investigations that implicated Rockwell International and the Department of Energy, and injured the nearby residents, workers and environment. I also learned that it's possible to put a gag order on a Grand Jury to keep them from testifying to Congress, and the only way to get their story heard was for the head grand juror, Wes McKinley, to actually RUN FOR CONGRESS himself so that he would not be in violation of the gag order when he told his story of their findings. This book blew the top of my head off ... and led to my reading many more.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Detailed and documented, this is another good resource about the contamination of Rocky Flats and the surrounding area. What happened is troubling enough, but it's clear that the same flouting of laws and utter disregard for anything other than a profit means many similar conditions exist at other nuclear facilities around the country. It's also something to keep in mind when oil and gas companies lobby for "self-reporting" about fracking. I'm still wrapping my head around the fact that the government allowed and continues to allow my drinking water to be contaminated with plutonium and other radioactive elements because of how waste was handled at Rocky Flats. Everyone acknowledges the plutonium is in the sediment and stirring it up (by wading, for example) further contaminates the water. There are signs to not swim or wade, but the are widely ignored probably because no mention is made about the fact that waders might be exposing themselves to plutonium. Why we would want to introduce even more hazardous waste into any water supply via fracking, nuclear weapons or power, or any other avoidable source is beyond me.

[Suz · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, I started to read this because we have a copy at work and I needed a book for the bus ride home. It's non-fiction and would probably be rather shocking if I weren't so used to this kind of government cover-up/conspiracy (because of my job).
It's clearly not written by a professional author but by the head of a grand jury for an investigation into Rocky Flats Nuclear Facility, formerly producing plutonium, yet now a national park in Colorado and his attorney.

Funny how that works...1) it's now a park and 2) the head of the grand jury had to get an attorney.

Ah, well, don't worry -he's ok and the park is perfectly safe. (haha suckers)

[Ann Suellentrop · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important info for all citizens to know...unbelievable scandal and controversy which continues to this day! Wes McKinley, the grand jury foreman, and Ron Lipsky, the FBI agent who led the raid on Rocky Flats, will speak on April 14, 2011, as part of a series of talks put on by the Rocky Mt. Peace & Justice Center, to stop the contaminated area of the former Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons Plant being opened up for recreational use by the public, including children!

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is scary stuff but we all need to know about it before they turn Rocky Flats into a nature preserve for our children to visit on field trips. Please read this book!

[Josh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reviewed for High Country News, December 2004