Project Sunshine: America's Dark Secret

In the shadow of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a more sinister American program was brewing. Project Sunshine had an innocuous nameâ€"but between 1955 and 1970, the US government orchestrated a horrifying operation that would remain classified for decades. When rumors began to surface about "baby body snatching," most dismissed them as conspiracy theories. They were wrong.

Behind laboratory doors, American scientists were studying strontium-90, a radioactive isotope from atomic blasts that mimicked calcium and infiltrated bones. To understand its effects, they needed samplesâ€"untainted by environmental radioactivity. The solution was unthinkable: secretly obtaining the remains of deceased infants and children. From the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to bodies shipped from British hospitals, approximately 6,000 children became unwitting subjects in classified nuclear experiments.

The scale of deception was staggering. Documents stamped "top secret" revealed collaboration between US nuclear labs and Britain's Atomic Energy Authority. Nobel laureates instructed colleagues to "do a good job of body-snatching" for their country. Families like Jean Pritchard's discovered their infant daughter's body parts had been taken without permission. When President Clinton commissioned an investigation, the brutal truth emerged: corruption was the method, and children's bones were the currency of a Cold War-era betrayal.

Discover the truth behind Project Sunshineâ€"a conspiracy theory that proved all too real. New episodes every Tuesday. This is Episode 120 of Hometown History's "Secrets from WW2" series.

EPISODE SUMMARY

Between 1955 and 1970, the United States government conducted a classified program called Project Sunshine that secretly obtained the bodies of approximately 6,000 deceased infants and children for radiation experiments. Initially dismissed as conspiracy theory, declassified documents revealed a shocking collaboration between American nuclear scientists and British hospitals to study strontium-90's effects on human bones. This episode explores how government betrayal, institutional secrecy, and the pursuit of Cold War-era scientific advancement led to one of the most ethically disturbing programs in American history.

KEY EVENTS & TIMELINE

1945

• August 6 & 9: Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
• Concerns emerge about strontium-90 radioactive fallout effects

Early 1950s

• Project Sunshine secretly initiated to study strontium-90 in human bones
• Initial focus on obtaining remains from Hiroshima/Nagasaki victims

1955-1970

• Peak operational period: ~6,000 bodies collected
• British scientists at Harwell and Medical Research Council participate
• Bodies obtained from UK hospitals including Central Middlesex Hospital
• Samples also collected from Hong Kong, Cambridge, London, San Francisco
• Nobel laureate Willard Libby instructs colleagues on "body-snatching" methods
• Remains coded with impersonal designations (e.g., "Baby B-1102," "Baby B-595")

1970s

• Project Sunshine officially ends as ethical standards shift
• Most documentation sealed or destroyed
• British government continues to deny involvement

1990s

• President Bill Clinton commissions investigation
• Declassified documents expose US-UK collaboration
• Jean Pritchard and other families discover unauthorized body part removal
• American Department of Energy releases partial documentation

KEY LOCATIONS

United States

• Federal nuclear research laboratories (specific locations remain classified)
• San Francisco collection sites

United Kingdom

• Harwell nuclear research facility (primary UK coordination center)
• Medical Research Council facilities
• Central Middlesex Hospital, London
• Royal Marston Hospital
• Cambridge medical facilities

International

• Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan (initial victim remains)
• Hong Kong (additional body part collection site)

KEY FIGURES & ORGANIZATIONS

Scientists & Officials

• Willard Libby: Nobel Prize-winning chemist who coordinated body-snatching efforts, instructed colleagues that "human samples are of prime importance"

Organizations

• UK Atomic Energy Authority (coordinated British participation)
• Medical Research Council (facilitated hospital access)
• US Department of Energy (released partial documentation in 1990s)
• British nuclear industry (provided infrastructure and secrecy)

Families

• Jean Pritchard: Mother whose infant daughter's legs were taken without permission; became advocate for victims after declassification

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